A Hunka, Hunka Burnin' Love
by Predec2
Summary: Sequel to "A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action.'  Justin agrees to help out 16-year-old Gus, but gets a little more than he bargained for when someone develops a crush on him.  **STORY IS NOW COMPLETE**
1. You're the Devil in Disguise

DISCLAIMER: QAF and its characters are the sole property of Cowlip Productions and Showtime. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><em>AN: This story can be read alone but might make more sense if you read the prequel first.:) Hope you enjoy it - I'll be updating it regularly. One of my readers had suggested this as a plot bunny quite a while back - I don't recall who it was, but thanks for the suggestion! As always, comments are greatly appreciated.:)_

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><p>Brian couldn't hold back the guffaw from his lips as Justin emerged from the loft's bedroom wearing a white, skintight simulated leather outfit with fringe running down both sleeves. Studded silver sequins trailed down either side of the open, V-necked top as well as the outside of his pant legs, which flared out so wide he probably could have fit a couple dozen of Elvis's favorite sandwich – fried banana, bacon and peanut butter – inside the extra folds of fabric.<p>

He pursed his lips together in an attempt to ward off the hysterical laughter that threatened to bubble up from inside, but he was finding it inordinately difficult. "What in the _fuck_ are you wearing? Have you been raiding Honeycutt's closet again?"

Justin huffed out proudly, "As a matter of fact, he helped me pick this out today down at the _Sixties R Us_ _Shop_." The store, which had been in business since, well, the sixties, now sold vintage clothing and accessories from the hippie and psychedelic days of old, and boasted of carrying the largest supply in the Northeast. _How fortunate for us_, Brian thought dryly as his gaze began at Justin's poofed-out, gel-teased hair and traveled slowly down the pale skin peeking out of the snug chest-bearing top, then on down to linger briefly at the telltale bulge of Justin's crotch and finally down to the slender but fit legs ending in those hideously flared-out bottoms with the black cut-out panels. A pair of white and black brogue shoes completed the 'outfit.' He actually looked hot in a goofy, geeky sort of way – of course to him Justin _always _looked hot – but the cheesiness of the costume outweighed that knowledge at the moment.

"Oh, my God," Brian deadpanned. "Elvis is alive and, well,… _NOT_ so well." He curled his lips under as he examined his husband. "I think the King has lost girth – and height." His eyes narrowed as he noticed Justin wearing something else. "Are those my gold chains you're wearing?" he asked sharply.

Justin rolled his eyes. "So? Elvis wore gold all the time."

"Well, if Elvis LOSES one of my chains before he gets back, he's going to be singing _Hurt._"

"Oh, I'm _All Shook Up_," Justin cracked as he maturely stuck his tongue out at Brian on his way over to retrieve a bottle of Evian from the refrigerator. "We needed to do a dress rehearsal tonight," he explained. "The statewide talent show is only a week away now, you know."

Brian rubbed one hand over his face in amusement from his place on the couch; his long legs were propped up on top of their expensive coffee table and the plasma T.V. was blaring out yet another showing of _Easy Rider_ with Clint Eastwood, one of Brian's favorite movies. "Tell me you're NOT going out in public in that outfit, Justin! Everyone knows who you're married to, and I have a reputation to uphold around here!"

Justin walked over to stand beside Brian near the couch, one hand on his slim hip as he took a swig from the plastic bottle. Brian noticed his husband wearing two oversized, tacky-looking imitation ruby rings which seemed absurdly large on Justin's slender hand, and a pair of large, owlish-looking sunglasses was propped on top of his head as he responded stiffly, "Oh, well in that case I'll do my best to make a run for it from the front door to my car. And I'll make sure to only use the drive-through when I get my Whopper from Burger King afterward. Maybe we'll only have one or two Elvis sightings then." He sighed melodramatically. "There goes my reward money from _the National Enquirer…" _He quickly tilted the bottle up and chug-a-lugged a large gulp of water before emitting an audible "Ahh" and placing it down on the coffee table's glass surface.

"Hey!" Brian protested as he reached over to grab one of his cork-bottomed, James Dean coasters that said "_Rebel Just Because"_ and placed the half-full, condensation-laden bottle on top. "Watch it! What did I tell you about leaving water rings on the furniture?"

Justin rolled his eyes as he turned to go. "Ooh, what WAS I thinking," he quipped in falsetto. "I'm going to be late for rehearsal," he said as he prepared to go, just as Brian grabbed one fringed arm and spun him around to face him.

"Just a minute, Hot Stuff… You forgot something, Oh King of Tackiness," Brian told him, one elegant, arched eyebrow raised as he stared into Justin's eyes.

"What? My rhinestone belt? My fake sideburns? My Pink Cadillac with the deer horns on it?"

"That's Aretha Franklin, you twit! At least without the deer horns, anyway."

"Huh?"

"Pink Cadillac? Ridin' Down the Freeway?" All he got was a blank stare in return from his younger spouse. "Oh, forget it!" Brian retorted as he tapped one long finger expectantly against his lips and Justin smirked.

"Oh… That," the blond said with a blush as he walked over to place his hand behind Brian's neck and lean down for a deep but too brief of a kiss, at least in Brian's estimation; by now, though, they had kissing down to an art form and didn't need a long time to thankfully still make it a passionate one.

A few moments and a little less breath later, Justin pulled back to say in his best Elvis voice, "Thank you. Thank you very much." He began to walk away, swishing his hips Elvis-style as Brian watched with hungry eyes, wishing the King wouldn't _leave the building_ just yet...

Brian snorted as he gave Justin a smack on his white leatherette rump. "Go meet Sonny Boy before I strip that jumpsuit off you and jump YOU."

Justin grinned as he looked over his shoulder. "I'll take that as a promise for later," he whispered huskily as his blue eyes sparkled. He reached over to grab his car keys off the coffee table just as his cell phone rang. Brian was surprised to find out that "Elvis's" jumpsuit had a pocket in it as Justin reached inside a hidden flap and retrieved his phone. Flipping it open, he shot Brian a quick glance before he answered it. "It's Gus," he announced as Brian nodded.

"Hey, Gus! What's up?"

"Pops, you're not going to _believe _this! Kevin broke his arm this afternoon at football practice! I TOLD the dumb shit not to injure his playing arm before our gig!"

Justin had to smile despite the severity of their situation, because he knew Gus meant Kevin's _guitar-playing _arm, not his football arm, even though they were the same ones. He cleared his throat before he said sympathetically, "That's terrible, Gus! I don't know how we can possibly perform now, not without our guitar player."

From his position on the couch, Brian raised his eyebrows in question as Justin covered the mouthpiece part of the cell phone with his hand and whispered, "Kevin got injured at football practice today."

"Smart boy," Brian replied drolly as Justin glared at him.

"I guess we'll just have to drop out, then," Justin replied to his 'son.' Gus had been around Justin for so long now that he considered him his other father, and Justin felt just as strongly about him. Their rehearsing together over the past several weeks had served to bond them even closer together. "At least we still have our trophy from the regional talent show." he pointed out. They had managed to actually persuade Brian to show up; that evening had been such fun! The best part, though, was the days leading up to the show, when Brian actually thought he had been seeing another man clandestinely when he had actually been meeting up with Gus and his friends on the sly to rehearse for the big night. It had taken Brian quite a while before he was able to live his jealous rant down, but Justin had found the whole episode quite entertaining.

"No fucking way, Pops!" he heard Gus exclaim vehemently. "We've worked too hard for this!" The five of them – he, Gus, and three of his friends from school – had been rehearsing every night nonstop for the past few weeks now in preparation for the state-wide talent show benefitting the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance coming up in less than a week. The prize money for the winning act wasn't all that much - $500 – but it was more so Gus and his fellow band mates could get some much-needed publicity for their fledgling retro rock band that they had organized approximately a year ago. Justin had agreed to sing in the band for the local talent show a few months ago to help them out in a pinch, and had agreed to repeat his role for the state-wide event. But he had already told Gus that this would be his 'swan song.' It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy it, and he loved spending time with Gus, but his art had to take priority over his singing; something told him he wasn't going to make a living imitating singers who had moved onto their 'rock band in the sky.' Now it appeared he wouldn't have to worry about it, though.

"I know," Justin murmured soothingly. "But I don't see where we have any choice. We can't perform without our guitar player." Kevin was vital to the band, seeing as how so many of Elvis' best-known songs relied upon the hypnotic, pulsing beat of both the drum – Gus's instrument – and the guitar. A sudden inspiration hit him, though, as he looked over at Brian hopefully, but his optimism proved to be short-lived.

The words weren't even out of his mouth before Brian growled, "No fucking way, Elvis! Don't even _think_ about it!"

"Hang on a minute, Gus," Justin said as he placed the phone flat against his stomach so the teenager wouldn't hear. He stood there with one hand on his hip as he glared down at his husband. "Have you ever heard Elvis sing _Are You Lonesome Tonight?_ Well, I'll be singing that to YOU tonight if you disappoint your _son_!"

"I'm not disappointing my son; I'm _helping_ him," Brian maintained.

"Uh, huh. And how's that?" Justin asked in puzzlement.

"I'm helping him to realize that life isn't always fair. I'm teaching him a hard lesson in the school of hard knocks."

"Brian…."

Brian sighed; he always found it so hard to say no to this man, but in this case he had to put his foot down. "Justin… You know how much I love my son, and I would normally do anything for him – _and_ you. But I am NOT getting up on a stage and belting out a _doo-wop_ here and a _doo-wop_ there while you pretend you're the resurrected King! It's just not going to happen, Sunshine!"

"Who said you could even _sing_?" Justin hissed out, a pout forming on the full, perfect lips. "Oh, just _forget_ it!" he growled impatiently as he raised the phone back up to his ear. "Damn stubborn man," he muttered under his breath as he said to Gus "I'm sorry, Buddy. I don't think…"

"Wait!" Gus cried out abruptly. "Why didn't I think of this _before? _Rob!"

Justin frowned. "Rob?"

"Yeah!" Gus said excitedly. "Rob's this new guy that just moved here from Seattle. He lives a couple doors down from me and he mentioned the other day that he was on the band at his old school! He said he played guitar, and wanted to join the band here in the fall when school starts again! I bet _HE_ would do it!"

Justin smiled as he looked over at Brian sweetly. "That's great, Gus! Your idea is _much_ better than mine." Brian rolled his eyes in response.

"What was _yours?" _Gus said curiously as Justin returned his attention back to his call.

"Never mind," Justin said with a grin. "It doesn't matter now; I'll tell you later. You think you can get ahold of him and have him meet us at my studio for rehearsal tonight? It's awfully short notice." Justin's art space, located a few blocks away from the loft, was refurbished from an old, obsolete manufacturing facility and had a large, exposed room upstairs that they had been using nightly for their rehearsals. It was the perfect location to practice their song without disturbing anyone else, and the acoustics were amazingly precise.

"I'll call him right now!" Gus exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm sure he'll do it!" he told Justin. "He's a great guy! I'll swing by on the way over and pick up Kevin's guitar in case he needs to borrow it, too."

Justin nodded. "Sounds like a plan – okay then, let's do it. I'll see you in a little while." He flipped his phone shut as he stared over at Brian. "Never mind, Jimi Hendrix," he retorted. "We found someone _better_."

"Oh, yeah?" Brian said with his nose turned up. "Not too likely."

Justin grinned as he walked toward the door. "Don't wait up," he told him as he picked up his jacket and flipped it over his shoulder. "If our rehearsal runs _too_ late, I might find my thrill at Blueberry Hill tonight."

Brian huffed. "Very funny, Elvis," just before Justin slid the loft's door open and disappeared, white leathered ass and all.


	2. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

_Gus pines secretly for his new friend, who falls head over heels for someone else..._

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><p><em>Justin's Art Studio<em>

As he heard it ring, Justin scrambled to pull his cell phone out of the skin-tight jumpsuit's pocket and hurriedly flipped it open; he was relieved to see that it was Gus. "Where _are_ you?" he asked the teen without preamble. "I've been here over an hour; is everything okay?"

There was a sigh on the other end. "Yeah, we're on our way," the teen reported. "I had a fucking flat tire, do you believe that?" he growled in disgust. "What _else_ can go wrong tonight?"

Justin smiled, knowing how _he_ was at that age; when he was sixteen, sometimes it seemed like the whole world was against him. Of course, that was before he had met a certain dangerous-looking, sexy brunet soon afterward. "But you got it changed though, right?"

"Yeah… Dad made sure I kept a spare in the trunk. I guess I owe him one," he grudgingly admitted. His father was always treating him like a kid when it came to his safety, which was really ironic considering what he had gotten away with when he was _his_ age; of course, his father had bragged to him that back then his parents didn't really know half of what he had been involved with or where he was most of the time. He had joked once that his parents would have mistaken weed for parsley flakes if he had kept it in a baggie above the stove. "We should be there in about five minutes."

Justin nodded. "Good. I'm assuming you were able to persuade – what's his name? Rob? You were able to persuade your new friend to fill in for Kevin?"

"Yeah," Gus replied, glancing over toward the seventeen-year-old teen in the back seat who was speaking with Dave Crandall, their keyboardist. Rob Porter had recently moved to Pittsburgh from Seattle and was a few months older than Gus. They were approximately the same height and weight – both lean and trim, muscular but not overly so – with the same type of angular features. But whereas Gus's skin was a bronze color like his dad's and was a brunet, Rob's was paler, having spent most of his life in the cloudy Pacific Northwest, and Gus thought it complimented his light brown hair and green eyes perfectly. "He's with me, along with Dave. We'll be out front shortly."

"Okay, then I'll keep the door unlocked for you; I'll go ahead and set up what I can upstairs in the meantime to save us some time."

"Good. Thanks, uh… Yeah; we'll see you in a little while."

Justin had to bite back a chuckle at the awkwardness of Gus's goodbye; he could distinctly hear the silent "Pops" dying to erupt from his lips after his thank you, but he _also_ knew at Gus's age that reputation was everything. It just wouldn't do for a 16-year-old to go around calling his second father "Pops" in front of his friends. Way too cutesy.

Smiling, he turned to walk over to the steps leading up to the second floor that was currently being used as their rehearsal area; he could at least get the sound system set up and make sure the drums and keyboard were ready to be used before the boys got there. Kevin had been the only one carrying his instrument around with him during their previous nights of rehearsal; the other boys had elected to keep their instruments here at his studio for convenience's sake. After all, for the past several nights they had been practicing for hours nonstop in the evenings in preparation for the much-awaited state-wide competition, and it wasn't easy to cart around a large, expensive set of drums from place to place. Those were Gus's pride and joy, and he took great care not to have them damaged.

As he reached the open, upstairs area several seconds later, he took advantage of one of the exposed metal beams to rub the back of his tight, satiny outfit up against it. He let out an "ah" of satisfaction; the damn thing was so itchy. He smiled as he thought about a comment his husband had made several years ago that he could get off just by rubbing up against a tree; if only Brian could see him right now. My, how things had changed! Oh, he still had the same sort of insatiable appetite when it came to his sexy husband, but he couldn't help realizing how – dare he say it? – _domestic_ the two of them had become; not that he would ever mention the word out loud to Brian. That would be akin to telling Brian that he had suddenly developed a fetish for pussy. It wasn't as if Brian didn't know it anyway.

Flipping the switch to turn on the industrial-type, round metal light fixtures sprinkled throughout the space, he walked over to the area near the floor-to-ceiling windows that they were using as a makeshift stage and turned the keyboard on to start warming it up. An older Yamaha model, the darn thing needed a little while to fully come on for some reason, kind of like one of those older model tube televisions. It was Dave's favorite, though, from what he had told him, purchased at a pawn shop about a year ago with some birthday money before he and Gus had gotten together to form their band along with their friend, Kevin, who was now temporarily sidelined due to his injury.

As Justin briefly picked up one of the drumsticks to idly tap it a couple of times on a drum, he thought about how Gus had become such a capable drummer since getting his set last Christmas and how much he had been counting on being able to compete in the state contest. Gus had his heart set on their band becoming more well-known around town so they could hopefully obtain some more 'gigs,' as he liked to call them. The modest award money would help in that pursuit, but the publicity they would gain would be even _more_ valuable for that purpose. He was relieved that they hadn't been forced, then, to quit due to Kevin's injury; they had been very lucky to find another guitar player on such short notice.

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><p>Just then, the sound of the security chime alerted Justin that Gus and his small entourage had arrived.<p>

"Justin?"

"I'm up here, Gus," he told Brian's son, smiling at the teen's use of his first name in front of his band mates. It wasn't that he never called him by his first name anymore – Gus alternated between his given name and "Pops" quite often, in fact – but he knew that in front of his peers he wouldn't be caught dead using the endearing title.

The sounds of three teenage boys thundering up the steps could be heard as Justin glanced over at the entryway and smiled as he saw Gus coming up first. "Hey," he said.

"Hey, Justin," Gus greeted him as he smiled at him in amusement; it was his first look at Justin's attire. "Or should I say _Elvis_."

Justin grinned back at him as Gus and his two friends walked over. "You can just call me… _The King_," he teased them in a southern accent as he bent his arms and legs in a typical karate-type, Elvis stance; the delicate fringe of his sequined outfit reflected off the overhead lights. "What do you think? Do I make the King proud?"

Gus laughed. "Oh, shit! That is priceless! Why do I have the sneaking feeling that Emmett had something to do with this?"

Justin beamed in response, showing his perfect smile that was his trademark as he said, "You're very perceptive. He helped me pick it out down at the Sixties-R-Us Shop." He grimaced as he added, "And then he insisted on doing my hair, too. You would have thought he had died and gone to heaven by the time he got done."

Gus shook his head in glee; yes, that definitely sounded like Emmett. Actually, he really _liked _his dad and Justin's over-the-top, carefree, unorthodox friend. The man was always true to himself and spoke his mind. He respected him for that, not to mention the fact that the man was just too damn funny, too. "Dare I ask what Dad thought of it?"

Justin laughed. "He wasn't impressed," he admitted as Gus nodded his head knowingly. "By the way, I tried to actually persuade him to fill in for Kevin, but he wasn't buying into _that_, either." He glanced over to the side of Brian's son to observe Dave Crandall, Gus's friend and their keyboardist, standing to his left and another boy who was approximately the same height as Gus standing to his right. He noticed the similar features of Gus and his new friend immediately, surprised that they looked so much alike. In fact, the other boy reminded him quite a bit of Brian when they had first met – tall and slender with the same classic facial features but with lighter hair and eyes. "Hi, Dave," he said to Gus's friend that he knew first. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Justin," Dave said with a nod and a smile. "Good." He and Gus's other friend, Kevin, both thought Justin was pretty cool. He was older but just young enough in age to actually have some things in common with them. They all liked the same type of music, movies, and food, for example, and their shared interests had all served to bond them closer together during the course of their rehearsals for the city's talent show. Now their easy-going camaraderie was even more important as they prepared for the state-wide contest. Justin hoped that this companionable feeling would continue despite the fact that they had someone unknown in their midst as he turned to study the newest member of their band.

You must be Rob," he said with a warm smile as he walked up to the other teen. "Gus and I really appreciate you filling in on such short notice." He reached out his hand to him. "It's nice to meet you."

Rob stared over at the man in awe as he shook his hand and felt something like an electric jolt rush through his body; he silently hoped as he let go of his hand that he hadn't noticed the flush that was spreading across his face merely from his touch. When he had first laid eyes on Justin a few moments ago and he had flashed a smile at the group, his heart had threatened to stop beating in his chest; the man had almost taken his breath away. While he quickly decided that the Elvis-like, rhinestone-studded suit Justin was wearing wasn't the most flattering on him, the man wearing it definitely was in a whole other category. The outfit was very tacky-looking in a typically flashy, Elvis way, but it seemed to have been made expressively for the man wearing it because it hugged every curve and angle of Justin's body perfectly, leaving practically _nothing_ to the imagination. And at his age, he had a _very _active imagination. In fact, it was working overtime at the moment as he imagined all sorts of things he and this man could be doing if they were alone. The man had an amazing ass that was just begging for attention, not to mention the impressive-looking bulge revealed in the front. And those soft blue eyes and that _smile! _Holy shit. Gus hadn't really told him anything about their lead singer, other than they had known each other for a long time and he was helping the band out temporarily as a favor to them. He quickly averted his eyes for fear his lascivious thoughts would betray his feelings as he heard his name being called from seemingly far away.

He blinked his eyes to refocus his attention back on his new friend as Gus frowned at him in puzzlement. "Anything wrong?" From his place a few feet away, Gus swallowed a nervous lump in his throat as Rob turned his head to stare at him and shook his head no; he thought his new friend had the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. They seemed to be continually changing colors from a hazel to a light green to a dark sage. Right now they were sort of an amazing shade of greenish-gold, he decided, as he stared captivated at the other boy, wondering if he realized how attracted he was to him and if the feeling might be mutual.

Yes, like father, like son; in an ironic twist, Gus had first started to realize he was gay when he became a teenager a few years ago and started junior high. Mel and Lindsay had always noticed that their son, despite getting a lot of admiring looks from his female classmates, didn't seem the least bit interested in attending any of the school dances or going out with girls on double dates to the movies or to the mall. Apart from hanging out with some other boys his age as they worked on cars or going to a movie or two with them on occasion, he didn't show the least bit of interest in dating. He spent most of his free time, instead, working with his music or spending time with his father and Justin. Initially, he enjoyed working on original music compositions on his laptop and then trying them out on an old piano that his mothers kept at the house; it was only last Christmas when he gotten the drum set that his love of percussion had bloomed and he had switched musical instruments. His mothers' suspicions that Gus was 'different' were confirmed about a year ago when they caught him and one of his male friends jacking each other off in the downstairs rec room one day. They had gone out to eat at a friend's house and had returned home earlier than expected, finding their son and Clay, one of their deceased friend Dusty's sons, "discovering the joys of the human flesh" as they gave each other hand jobs on the ratty old couch that had been banished to the basement. Their initial shock over finding Gus with another boy eventually faded into reluctant acceptance over the past year to where they were mainly okay with it now, as long as Gus played things safe and was upfront with them as to where he was and whom he was with at all times. It had never really been his sexual orientation that had been the issue, anyway; merely his rather tender age and their insistence that he wait until he was mature enough to handle the emotional issues that always came with a teen's sexual awakening.

Unlike his father when he got to be a little older, Gus wasn't the devil-may-care, fuck 'em and leave 'em type of guy; he was more like Justin when it came to relationships, actually. He was more of a – perish the thought – _romantic_. He preferred to spend time getting to know the boy first, buying him little trinkets like his favorite candy bar or soda as they spent time at one of the mall's music stores or hanging out at one of the nearby parks. To his credit, he didn't like to rush into a sexual relationship, which was fine with his mothers. Not one to come across as 'clingy' with their independent but tender-hearted son, Mel and Lindsay relied upon open communication with Gus, feeling confident that if he had any questions or concerns regarding his sexuality, he would be upfront about them. Once he had turned ten, they had sat him down for the 'birds and the bees' lecture, leaving nothing out and urging him to never feel uncomfortable coming to them – or even Brian – with any questions he might have. If nothing else, their son was going to grow up tolerant and understanding of _all_ types of lifestyles, not merely the traditional ones. After all, he had already grown up in an unusual household, anyway, so this was a natural extension of what he had already experienced.

Brian, of course, had been a little surprised but thoroughly elated and maybe just a little proud that Gus had turned out to be gay, but he had oddly wound up being quite strict with his only son when it came to dating guidelines; he had been extremely thorough about telling Gus all the methods he needed to use to protect himself, from always wearing condoms and getting tested regularly for STDs to not going home with boys he didn't know. And while he accepted the fact that Gus would, of course, participate in sexual activity – after all, he _was _Brian Kinney's son – he had informed his son in no uncertain terms that he was not to bring 'tricks' or whatever he wanted to call them back home to Britin when he stayed with him and Justin; that particular place was reserved for the sexual escapades of two men and two men only. It had been that way ever since they had bought the house and gotten married and it would _always _be that way.

So as he stood there admiring his new friend's physique, he considered it quite lucky that Kevin had managed to put himself out of commission as their guitar player, because it gave him an opportunity to get to know the boy who had replaced him better; he hoped a _lot_ better. And he figured there could be no closer bonding experience for two gay teenage males than to play in the same band together.

He watched as the object of his admiration smiled a little self-consciously and replied, "No, I'm fine, _Jammers_."

Justin frowned at the name as he turned to look at Brian's son with an amused look on his face; THAT was a new one on him. "_Jammers?"_

Gus blushed a little at the unusual name as he explained, "Rob's decided that's going to be my nickname from now on. He started calling me that on the way over as revenge for all the times I've been trying to get him to jam with us at my house since he moved into the neighborhood. I was becoming a real pest after a while," he admitted as Rob rolled his eyes in reaction, "once I found out he was an experienced guitar player. I always think you can never have enough good guitar players in a band," he explained. "He even accused ME of being the one who broke Kevin's arm on purpose instead of him doing it at football practice."

Justin laughed, an action that caused Rob's face to widen at the wonderfully melodic sound; he couldn't help thinking that everything about the man was just incredible as he stared over at him almost in a trance.

"Well, okay, then," Justin said with a grin. "Let's go do a little _jamming_ right now; okay with you… _Jammers_?"

"Justin…" Gus's face turned red as Justin laughed at his awkwardness. "Don't YOU start now."

Justin laughed as the four of them walked over to the makeshift stage. "Okay, I promise," he agreed as he approached the microphone that was set up on a stand, just like the old-fashioned kind. They were trying hard to stay true to the same type of environment that Elvis would have performed in, right down to not only Justin's costumes but also even the sort of microphone used. As he waited a few moments for Gus to sit down behind the drums and for Dave to take his position at the keyboard, he noticed their newest band member seeming to hesitate. "Rob?" he asked in concern. "Something wrong?"

_Get a grip, Porter!_ Rob berated himself silently as he felt his heart pounding in his chest and realized he had been caught acting in a daze. He had never felt this way about another guy before; at least not this intensely. He already knew he was gay, having determined that a couple of years ago, and Gus had made no secret of the fact that he was gay as well – after all, it had come out naturally in the course of their conversations as they had sat amidst the boy's two lesbian mothers in his living room – but he had never had such a visceral attraction toward anyone else before. It was both exhilarating and frightening as hell as he swallowed to wet his throat before he croaked out, "No." Thinking quickly on his feet, he added more firmly, "I was just wondering where I should stand." _There… That sounded plausible enough_, he decided as Justin smiled at him slightly and nodded.

"How about over here?" Justin pointed to the other side of him, opposite to where Gus and Dave were seated, thinking it would balance the stage a little better. That was where Kevin had stood the past few nights, anyway, so they were all familiar with that type of setup. As Rob walked over to stand where he had indicated, Justin asked the boy, "Did Gus fill you in on which songs we'll be performing?" Unlike the local competition, which only required one song, the state-wide contest's rules called for THREE songs to be sung – one of which had to be a slower ballad. They would be singing the song that had made them come out victorious in the first contest, "_A Little less Conversation, A Little More Action_," along with two other Elvis songs that they had added after some debate over just which ones would best highlight their instrument playing as well as Justin's clear, rich singing voice.

Rob nodded as he stared into the unusually-colored blue eyes, almost feeling like he was drowning in them. "Yeah," he managed to say fairly normally. "He told me. I'm a big fan of Elvis's songs; I think I can improvise if the rest of you start it."

Justin nodded with a smile. "Good," he said as he turned to look over at Gus. "Want to do the ballad first and then _Jailhouse Rock_? I want to change into my other outfit for that one anyway." They were trying to concentrate on the two songs they were adding to their performance at the moment, since they were already quite familiar with the first one. Unbeknownst to Brian, Justin had stashed another 'Elvis' outfit in the back of his car, having rented it at the same shop as the one he was wearing currently. He hadn't seen any need to bring the other, more conservative outfit inside, only to have to carry it back out again. When he got home later, though, he would be wearing the second outfit; thank God, too, because the current one was driving him crazy from the scratchy, rayon fabric. He couldn't wait to get out of it and change!

"Yeah," Gus said as he looked over at Dave who nodded his agreement. "Sounds like a good idea."

Justin turned to look over at Rob briefly to say, "We're going to do the ballad first, then. Just do the best you can to play along and I'm sure you'll be fine."

Gus called out "1, 2, 3," before he began a soft, slow swishing beat on the drums for a few seconds to help Dave find the right tempo. Dave began to play the opening strands of "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" on the keyboard as Justin began to softly croon:

_Wise Men Say Only Fools Rush In,_

_But I Can't Help Falling In Love With You._

_Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?_

_If I Can't Help Falling in Love With You._

_Like a River Flows Surely to the Sea,_

_Darling So it Goes Some Things are Meant to Be._

_Take My Hand, Take My Whole Life, Too._

_For I Can't Help Falling in Love With You._

Despite his awestruck feeling at the moment, Rob managed to play admirably along on his guitar, finding the simple chords easy to follow. That was actually lucky from his standpoint, because once Justin began to sing in his clear, melodic voice he was even _more_ amazed. The man was like a fantasy come to life! He sighed softly as Justin finished up the song and he and his friends stopped playing.

"That wasn't bad," Justin said with a smile in true Brian Kinney fashion as Gus and Dave nodded; they had been practicing it all week, so by now the three of them were quite familiar with the melody and lyrics. He turned as Gus's new friend next to him spoke up.

"Not bad?" Rob replied incredulous. "That was fucking _amazing!_"

Justin laughed. "Well, I see confidence isn't a problem with you; reminds me of someone _else_ I know." Little did Justin realize, however, that Rob wasn't talking generally about the band as a whole; he was totally mesmerized by Justin's singing instead. He smiled at Rob. "You kept up just fine with the guitar, by the way; I think you'll do great as our new addition. Thanks again for offering to fill in for Kevin; you saved our necks."

Gus and Dave nodded their agreement as Rob flushed in response at Justin's compliment. Gus couldn't help staring over at the brown-haired boy as he smiled back at them, thinking he was the most gorgeous guy he had ever come into contact with; the fact that he was gay, too, made it seem like fate that they would hook up. At least he hoped so. Unfortunately for Gus, however, even though he had inherited his father's brooding, good looks and tall body frame, he _hadn't _inherited his same sense of confidence and self-assurance, at least not in the dating department. He would need help in his pursuit, and he knew just the person to help him with his goal: Justin.

"I'm going to go change real quick," Justin told them as he begun to unzip the tight, white jumpsuit; he couldn't wait to change out of it for the more comfortable, mainly-black outfit he had brought with him for _Jailhouse Rock. _ He continued to unfasten the suit until he had opened it down to his waist before he pulled at the sleeves to remove the top portion.

Rob's eyes widened as Justin shrugged his upper body out of the white jumpsuit to expose his smooth, pale, flat torso; the man's blue eyes complimented his skin tone perfectly. _God, the man was simply gorgeous_, he couldn't help thinking as Justin turned and walked over to the exit to go retrieve his other outfit downstairs, totally oblivious to the teen who was openly ogling him.

As Justin disappeared out of sight, Rob heard Gus speaking to him.

"You were great!" Gus promptly assured his friend with a smile. Of course, he hadn't had any doubts as to Rob's talents; he had heard the other boy practicing on his guitar from his bedroom window several times before. Rob liked to keep his second-floor bedroom window open when the nights were warm, and frequently over the past few weeks the sound of his guitar playing had drifted over to Gus's window, providing him with the chance to hear him play. It was a dream come true for the two of them to actually be playing in the band together. "Thanks again for agreeing to fill in for Kevin," Gus told him softly as he turned to look at him gratefully. "You're a lifesaver."

"Yeah," Dave chimed in with a nod. "You definitely saved our ass, Rob. Thanks."

Rob smiled and peered over at Gus. "I'm glad I could help; this is going to be fun!" His gaze lingered where Justin had just been to add somewhat dreamily, "Justin's really cool and he has a great singing voice, doesn't he?"

Gus didn't notice the slight softness and wistful look in his friend's eyes as he spoke; he was too busy admiring HIM to notice. He smiled. "Yeah… Justin's great. He should be back soon after he changes. Want to go over the chords for the next number in the meantime?"

Rob cast one last look over where Justin had gone before nodding his head as he turned his attention back to the two other teens. "Sure," he said. "Let's do it."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Justin sighed in relief as he finished peeling off the snug jumpsuit and donning the second outfit he had picked up at the Sixties-R-Us Shop. This outfit, while still on the snug side, was made of more breathable cotton and was not quite as tight as the other one. It was all black except for the black-and-white, striped short-sleeved tee-shirt underneath the denim jacket. The outfit was a replica of the one that Elvis had worn in the movie, right down to the prisoner number stitched onto the left breast of the jacket. "<em>Much<em> better," he murmured as he took one last look in the mirror that was attached to the back of the small bathroom's door and made sure that he looked suitably pulled together. The plain, understated outfit was much more _him _than the other one had been. Satisfied he looked sufficiently "royal" enough to impersonate the King, however, he turned and walked over to the staircase to ascend to the other floor and resume their rehearsal.

"I'm ready," Justin told the three boys as he appeared on the landing in his new attire.

Gus turned to smile at Justin in amusement. "Well, you certainly are a master of quick changes," he said as he studied the realistic-looking outfit. "That's _perfect _for this number! That must be some store."

Justin grinned as he walked over to the three boys. "Yeah… You should try getting Emmett to leave the place! He's like a kid in a candy store in there!" He sighed again as he let out a breath. "It's so great to get out of that itchy jumpsuit," he told them as he walked over to grasp the standing microphone. "This one is much more comfortable." He looked around at the other two boys who were back at their delegated positions on the 'stage.' "Ready to try this one now?"

"Yeah," Dave told him with a nod. Rob, however, merely stood there as if in a trance.

Justin frowned in puzzlement; this kid seemed nice enough, but he sure was a little strange. "Rob? Ready to go?"

Rob shut his mouth that had been hanging open and managed a nod as he blinked his eyes to refocus. He noticed the three others staring at him and couldn't help the slight blush that spread across his face. He hastened to reassure them. "Yeah… Sure," he said. "I'm ready." He hurriedly cast his eyes downward toward his guitar before he was caught; he had gotten a good look at the black outfit their lead singer was wearing now, and he thought that one was even _more_ attractive than the first one, even though it wasn't as skin-tight. He was beginning to think the damn man would look hot even while wearing _pink_; in this case, the black contrasted dramatically with Justin's pale skin and made him look even more amazing. For now, however, he didn't dare reveal his true feelings for him – at least not yet. He wasn't quite sure anyway how to approach Justin, so it was best he bided his time for now. After all, Justin was an older man; just the thought of trying to say something intelligent in front of him made his heart race. _Was he involved with someone?_ The thought crossed him mind. He certainly hoped not.

"Okay, then," Gus instructed his friends. "On my mark." He began to tap the drums as he said, "One, two, three…" Precisely on the count of three, he nodded over at Rob, who began to twang the opening chord on the guitar as Justin prepared to start singing. What Rob saw Justin do next, however, almost made him quit playing: In an attempt to be as authentic as possible, Justin planted his legs far apart and began to gyrate his hips to and fro just like the King as he began to sing into the microphone:

_The warden threw a party in the county jail.  
>The prison band was there and they began to wail.<br>The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.  
>You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.<br>Let's rock Everybody, let's rock.  
>Everybody in the whole cell block<br>was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock._

_Holy shit_, Rob thought. _The man can sing like an angel and dance like a devil. _He had no idea how he managed to continue playing as he watched Justin continue to swing his hips back and forth while he sang, the fabric of his denim pants stretched tight by his feet planted widely apart. He swallowed, trying to keep his mouth from going completely dry as he continued to ogle the beautiful blond, hoping no one else was noticing his feelings that seemed so evident on his face.

From his place behind the drums, Gus split his attention between watching his 'stepfather' sing and dance and secretly stealing admiring glances Rob's way. The boy was so hot. He was so thrilled that he had agreed to perform with them, because he knew it would provide him with a much better way of getting to know him better, hopefully _much _better.

_Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone,  
>Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone.<br>The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang,  
>the whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang.<br>Let's rock Everybody, let's rock.  
>Everybody in the whole cell block<br>was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock._

Number forty-seven said to number three:  
>"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.<br>I sure would be delighted with your company,  
>come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."<br>Let's rock Everybody, let's rock.  
>Everybody in the whole cell block<br>was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock.

As the song ended with a flourish and Gus pounded out the final beat of the song on his drums, he grinned over at Justin. "You didn't fracture anything just then, did you, Old Man?" he asked Justin innocently with a twinkle in his eye. In reality, he always thought of Justin as an excellent dancer, much better than his _own_ father. His father loved to dance at Babylon – he and Justin still did from time to time from what he understood – but he _also_ knew from the few occasions he had witnessed the two of them dancing together which one was the much better dancer.

"Fuck you," Justin said good-naturedly with a grin. "At _your_ age, anyone over twenty-five seems old to YOU. I can still keep up with the best of them just fine, _thank you very much_," he retorted, reserving his best Elvis imitation for the last part of his sentence.

_Just fine, indeed_, Rob thought_. Gus must be out of his mind to even insinuate that Justin was old. There was nothing OLD about that THAT man. _

"Okay, okay," Gus conceded with a grin of his own. "I take it back." The two smiled affectionately at each other as Gus added, "You think if you can hobble your way down the steps, though, you could call us in some pizza now? I'm starved."

Justin shook his head and rolled his eyes as Gus and Dave laughed at him; Rob merely stood there in shock that Gus was still teasing him about his age. "Boy, you're really pressing your luck, Mister," Justin warned him with a grin. He pressed one hand to the small of his back as he said, "Give me about an hour to make it down the steps and I'll see what I can do. That is, if I can remember how to use my cell phone."

"Break time!" Gus instantly called out brightly as Justin laughed and walked over to the steps to go back downstairs. "You got any beer down there?" he called over to Justin just before he left.

"Yeah," the boys heard him say. "And it's going to stay right in the fridge where it belongs." Gus and Dave groaned, knowing that was exactly what Justin would say, as they turned to follow him down the steps.

Gus turned as he noticed Rob hesitating near the stage. "Come on," he encouraged him with a smile. "It's time to chill for a little while. You do like pizza, don't you?" He couldn't imagine _any_ guy his age not liking THAT food; it was in every teenage boy's genes to be predisposed toward pizza as one of the four major food groups.

"Yeah, sure," Rob responded with a slight reassuring smile as he walked over toward the steps to catch up with the other boys. "Thanks."

Gus nodded as the three of them proceeded down the steps to the main floor, coming out near a large kitchen/living room area just off from Justin's studio workspace. For the first time, Rob got a good chance to look around at the former industrial space currently being used as Justin's art studio. It wasn't opulently appointed by any means – no plush carpets or thick curtains were to be found – but it was more utilitarian in nature. He admired some of the paintings hanging nearby, wondering who the artist was.

"It's not fancy," he heard Justin say in way of explanation as they arrived downstairs and walked out into the combination living room/kitchen area. "But it works for me."

Home to a former sewing machine factory, the floors were still fashioned from the same smooth concrete that workers from long ago had stood upon, making it easy to clean up any errant paint stains from a certain artist's works; Justin tended to be a little haphazard at times when he was in the midst of a project that he was passionate about. Not wanting to spend a large amount of money on fancy appliances or an expensive bed to crash on from time to time, he had located a used compact fridge and a somewhat banged-up 50's laminate black-and-white dinette table and chairs from the local Goodwill, along with a twin-sized bed from the bargain furniture store down the street. For him, it was good enough for its purpose; his _real_ home was at Britin, although Brian complained from time to time that he should have invested in a bigger bed "just in case."

"No, it's fine," Rob told him as the three boys walked over and sat down at the dinette table; Gus made sure to sit next to him. "I like it." He was about to ask Justin exactly what he did for a living before he was diverted by a question from him.

"So what's it going to be?" Justin asked with a smile as he reached over to retrieve his cell phone from the small counter next to the fridge. He looked over at Gus and Dave before peering over at their newest band mate. "These two are meat lovers; what about you?"

"Uh… I'll have whatever you're having," Rob said, flustered, as he gazed over at Justin intently.

Justin raised his eyebrows slightly, a suspicion starting to emerge in his brain as he noted the odd look on Rob's face; it looked a lot like the same look he had had so long ago when he had first met Brian. Clearing his throat, he plastered a smile on his face as he said to the boys, "Okay… Meat Lovers it is, then." He walked over to the fridge to pull out a couple six-packs of soda as Rob stood up.

"You want me to get some glasses, Justin?" he asked politely; he couldn't help admiring the man's ass that was looking right at him; after all, he was only human and Justin had one fine-looking ass in those snug black jeans. The hem of the blond's short jacket rode up on his waist as he bent over to get the cans out of the bottom of the small appliance, exposing about an inch of creamy skin.

Rob's eyes widened slightly as he took it all in before he quickly averted his eyes just as Justin stood back up and turned to face him. "Yeah, that'd be great," he said as the two other boys talked softly behind him over at the table. "The glasses are in the cabinet over the sink."

* * *

><p>Forty-five minutes later, the four had ravaged the two large pizzas that had been ordered and were ready for the next round of their rehearsal. This time, Justin decided to forgo the scratchy white jumpsuit and remain in the more comfortable black outfit as the quartet ran through all three songs this time.<p>

Finally, at approximately 11:00 p.m., slightly worn out but happy with the results, Justin followed the boys back down to the main floor in preparation for leaving. With Kevin's permission earlier, Rob had left the other boy's guitar upstairs in their rehearsal area since they would be back again tomorrow anyway.

"Thanks again for agreeing to help us out, Rob," Gus told his new friend with a warm smile. Rob had proven to be a very quick study in picking up all the chords for each song, and had even surpassed Kevin in the talent department when it came to guitar playing. Once Kevin was fully recovered, Gus knew he and Dave would face some hard decisions as to whether to continue with Dave or keep Rob. Personally speaking, he already knew what _his_ choice would be. The more he was around Rob, the more he was growing to like him. He fervently hoped the other boy either felt the same way or would soon.

As Justin locked the door behind him and walked outside, the boys were waiting by their car to say goodbye; Justin had parked immediately in front of them. Rob used the time to admire Justin once more; under the spotlight of the building's security light, it almost seemed liked the man's golden hair shone like a halo, and with the black outfit he was wearing, it was even more striking.

Justin walked up to them briefly. "I think our music set's going to be great, don't you?" he asked the other boys. He thought the rehearsal had gone particularly well tonight, and despite not really knowing what competition the four of them would face, he was feeling pretty confident about their chances. At the very least, they would all have some fun doing it, and hopefully if nothing else Gus and his band would get some much-needed notoriety for future business.

"Yeah, it was great!" Gus agreed enthusiastically. He wasn't just talking about the rehearsal, either; being able to get to know Rob better was a big bonus. The more time he spent with him, the more he liked the guy and wanted to get to know him even more. A sudden idea occurred to him as he asked, "Uh, Justin?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we meet at the diner tomorrow morning for breakfast?" Gus didn't have to mention _which_ diner – to him and Justin there was only one. "I'd like to talk to you about something to do with Dad."

Justin frowned. "Anything wrong?"

"No," Gus hastily assured him. "I just need to discuss something with you." Actually, it had nothing at all to do with his father, but he wasn't about to reveal the real reason for his request, not when he was standing a mere few feet away.

"Uh, Sure, Gus," Justin told him with a smile, still wondering what he needed. He supposed he would find out soon enough, though, and Gus didn't appear particularly worried. "What time?"

"About 10?" After all, Gus was out of school; no point in getting up at the crack of dawn just to eat, and besides, he knew Justin wasn't exactly an early riser, either, at least not when his father had to go to work. "Oh, and can you bring a sketchpad with you?"

Justin nodded as he smiled a little in amusement; that was like asking Les Paul if he could bring his guitar with him, but he still couldn't quite figure out what Gus wanted. Why the need for a sketchpad? It wasn't as if he didn't have tons of sketches of both him AND Brian by now. Apparently what Gus needed, though, had to do with his drawing skills. "Sure. Sounds good. I'll see you then." He turned to the other boys to say, "I'll see both of you tomorrow?" As Dave told him yes, Rob could only nod back at him, silently wishing that _he_ could somehow wrangle an invitation to breakfast tomorrow, too. At least he knew he would be seeing Justin again tomorrow night; he couldn't wait. Everything about the man was incredible – his looks, his voice, the way he carried himself. God, all sorts of thoughts were going through his mind at the moment, none of which could be expressed aloud, at least not yet.

Justin turned to go. "Okay, I'll see you guys same time tomorrow. I'll see _you _at breakfast," he verified to Gus, who nodded as Justin walked the few steps over to his car and got in.

As the three boys started to enter their own car, Gus had an inspiration. "Rob? Why don't you sit up front? I'm not sure how to get back on the highway from here, and you can be my lookout." He knew that probably sounded ludicrous, since the guy had just moved here a short time ago, but it was the best he could do on short notice. And who used the word _lookout_? His face reddened as he thought about it; that made him sound like he was about eight years old and standing inside his tree fort back home. _Real smooth, Gus!_

"_I_ can tell you how to…" Dave started to offer before Gus quickly interrupted him by shaking his head. _No… No…No._

"Come on, Rob," Gus urged the boy as Rob hesitated, wondering why _he_ was being asked to be their guide when Dave had to know his way around a lot better. "You can _both_ help me, then. I'll drop you off first, Dave," Gus said, blessing the fact that his other friend's house was first so he would have a little time alone with his new friend.

Dave stood by the back door of the car, his face scrunched up in puzzlement over Gus's actions, before he realized in a flash of epiphany why Gus was urging the new guy to sit in the front seat instead of him and he grinned in understanding. Ever since they had met, his friend had been quite open about his sexuality, which was perfectly okay with him; his philosophy was _to each his own_. It wasn't the way _he_ swung, but he had no problem with Gus liking guys. He suddenly understood, then, why Gus wanted Rob in the front seat instead of him; his best friend must have a _crush_ on the guy! He bit back a smile, vowing to kid Gus about it later, as he opened the car door and began to enter the backseat before Rob could change his mind. "Yeah, get in, Rob, I'm about ready to drop." As he got in and looked in the rearview mirror, his eyes met Gus's as his friend nodded in gratitude.

Rob shrugged as he opened the door and sat down on the front passenger seat, his thoughts still in a whirl as he thought about Justin. Shit, he was the hottest guy he had ever seen! His heart was racing just at the thought of seeing the man again tomorrow night; how lucky that Kevin had wound up hurting himself, because this was his lucky day! It must be fate that had transpired to put him in this situation. As Gus started up the car, he noticed Justin's car pulling out ahead of them as he asked, "You mentioned a sketchbook to Justin. Does he draw?"

As Gus pulled the car out into traffic, he had to laugh. "_Draw?_ You could say that. You've never heard about him?" As Rob shook his head in confusion, Gus said, "No, I guess you wouldn't have since you're fairly new here. Justin's a great artist," he said with pride clearly evident in his voice. "He has his paintings displayed all over the country, and some even in other parts of the world. He just got back from an art showing in Toronto last month. His paintings normally sell in the five-figure range."

Rob's eyes got big as saucers. "Fuck! They _do_?" He had noticed some paintings hung on the walls at their rehearsal site, but he hadn't realized that Justin had actually painted them. His opinion of the man immediately rose even higher; was there nothing Justin couldn't do?

Gus grinned at his reaction; he was used to Justin getting thousands of dollars for each painting he finished, but he supposed that would be a surprise to most people who didn't know his 'stepfather' by reputation. "Yeah, his paintings are in big demand as soon as he finishes them."

"Shit," Rob said in wonder; was there no end to the surprises about him? "That's amazing." He was curious to find out what _other_ talents Justin had; just the thought of that gorgeous man using those artist's fingers on _him_ was making him hard at the moment. He subtly placed his hands in his lap as he hoped that, along with the darkness of the night, it would disguise his obvious hard-on from his friend's scrutiny.

Gus, however, was oblivious to the other man's predicament; he was too busy stealing admiring glances over at Rob's face to notice. The man's light-brown hair was reflecting off the neon-green shading of the dashboard dial, making the man's face glow; God, he was so hot! He could feel his pulse racing as he longed to reach over and clasp the other boy's hand in a silent demonstration of his feelings for him, but he was too afraid of rejection. He knew he had to move slowly; he didn't even know if Rob would return his feelings! He had no way of knowing if the other boy would even be interested or not, but he had to find out somehow; the suspense was killing him. "Uh… Rob?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Rob hoped he hadn't given himself away somehow as he turned briefly to meet Gus's gaze and he could feel his face warming as he peered over at him curiously.

_Great, Gus! How were you going to ask THIS?_ "You… you have a boyfriend?" he asked. _Stupid, stupid!_ he berated himself instantly. Now he REALLY felt like an eight-year-old again! Could he be any lamer?

Rob licked his lips a little nervously as he turned his face to stare straight ahead. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he finally responded truthfully, "No," he answered quietly, hoping the other boys wouldn't think he was a total idiot. "It's kind of hard, you know? Being new and all."

Gus's heart leapt at that bit of information. _Shit_! The guy wasn't dating anyone! Now he knew there had to be a reason why Kevin had gotten injured; it was just meant to be. There had to be a reason why this had happened! He couldn't help smiling as he answered, "Neither am I. I mean dating anyone. Not seriously, anyway," he hastened to add, not wanting to come off as a total moron.

"Oh," Rob answered as Dave remained silent in the backseat, amused at this somewhat awkward display of _let's get better acquainted_.

Gus turned to briefly look over at him. "Small world, huh?"

Rob nodded. He was hoping it was going to be a _really _small world. If Justin was gay, too, that would be perfect; the _man_ was perfect. Hoping he wouldn't appear too obvious, he turned around in his seat first to ask Dave nonchalantly, "What about you?"

Dave snorted. "Gay? No way. You may be attractive ," he said a little embarrassed, "But I'm strictly into breasts, not other guys' dicks. No offense," he said hastily.

Rob smiled as he shrugged. "Don't worry. It's fine; I was just curious." _You're not the one I'm interested in anyway_. He turned back in his seat and took a deep breath before he glanced over at Gus to ask what he really wanted to ask. "Uh… What about Justin?"

Gus peered briefly over at his new friend in puzzlement, not following his line of thought. "Justin?"

"Yeah," Rob replied, trying hard not to let his interest be reflected in his tone of voice. "Is he gay, too?"

Gus smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. "Oh. Now he _definitely_ is," he told the other boy. "In fact, he found out when he was around the same age as we are, so he's cool; he knows _exactly_ what it feels like."

Rob smiled at that wonderful news, unable to keep his emotions in check altogether. He nodded. "That's good," he said noncommittally, but inside his heart was doing somersaults of elation. This was just too good to be true. Now all he had to do was find a way to let Justin know how he felt about him.

"Uh… We're meeting at the same time tomorrow night, right?"

Gus nodded as he turned onto Delta Street on the way toward the highway heading to Dave's house. "Yeah… 7:00." Gus turned to look at Rob for a moment as he said, "Why? You _can_ come, can't you? It's not a problem, is it?"

Rob smiled; he could _come_ all right. And now he had just the right incentive. "Yeah… Sure. No problem," he assured the other boy as he looked down in his lap, afraid to look Gus in the face. "I'm just not a hundred percent comfortable with the three songs yet, though. Uh, you said you were meeting with Justin tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah."

He inhaled a calming breath before he suggested, "Well, maybe I could ride over with you there and we could go over the songs together." He didn't have a car, and the bus line was nowhere near their houses; he would have to depend upon Gus to take him to see Justin, but he didn't think that would be a problem.

Gus's eyes widened as he kept his eyes on the road. _No, no, no, no… That would spoil everything_. "Uh, I'm sorry, Rob; but I have some errands to run before I meet with him. Besides, I think you did great tonight; I'm sure you'll be able to keep up just fine in rehearsal tomorrow."

Rob bit his lip in frustrated disappointment; he was hoping to see Justin again tomorrow morning. Now he would have to wait again until evening. _Unless Justin would be at his studio later in the day_…. He perked up a bit as he wondered if he could find a way to make it over to the studio before their rehearsal; that way he and Justin could have some time alone to get to know each other beforehand. "Okay," he said grudgingly, trying hard to sound indifferent. "I'll just wait until later."

Gus nodded as he sighed a silent breath of relief; there was no way he could get Justin's help with Rob if he was present for breakfast.

A few minutes later, Gus dropped Dave off at his house, leaving him and Rob alone. All of a sudden, his previous wish to be alone with the other boy was replaced with nervousness now that he had succeeded. He was still dying to know more about him, though.

"Uh… Gus?" he heard Rob say as he turned briefly to look at the other boy; his friend was looking out the front of the car instead of over at him. His profile was strong and chiseled in the reflection from the passing streetlights, making him look almost like some young Greek god.

Gus's breath caught in his throat at the sight before he swallowed and said softly, "Yeah?"

"You ever been with another guy before? You know… _really_ been with another guy?

Gus smiled. Rob obviously didn't know his father's reputation or he wouldn't have to ask that question. "Yeah," he said almost smugly. "Sure."

Rob stared over at him in awe. "No shit?"

Gus glanced over at him as he nodded. "No shit." He turned his eyes back to the road as he turned right at the next light; they were getting closer to his and Rob's neighborhood now, and he hated to say goodbye just yet – they were just now getting to some very interesting revelations. Rob was a virgin? Just the thought of being the guy's first made him very excited as well as horny as hell. "You mean you've never…?"

Rob let out a somewhat embarrassed sigh. "No," he admitted. "Just kissing and jacking off and shit like that."

Gus nodded, afraid to look into Rob's eyes as he intentionally stared straight ahead for fear he would give too much away.

"What was it like?" Rob asked softly.

Gus was glad it was relatively dark in the car, or he was sure the other boy would know his face was turning red. "You mean…fucking?" He peered over at Rob briefly, who nodded.

Gus smiled at the recollection of his first time; he had experimented before with other curious guys in junior high in the bathroom at school and behind the football field bleachers, and he had jacked off a few other guys in some of the unlocked school buses in the fenced-off garage area of all places. But his first real adventure with fucking had been about a year ago when his moms were gone for the evening and he and his friend Clay had discovered the joys of having a cock up someone's ass. Of course, it had been _his_ cock up Clay's ass; after all, neither Brian NOR his son was a bottom, although he suspected his father made an exception from time to time with Justin. From what he had heard, he knew his father's rules had flown out the window the moment he had met his future husband. But he _also_ knew his father had a reputation to uphold around town, and he wasn't about to let anyone know any different. At the time his mothers had thought they had merely been jacking each other off, but it had turned out to be much more than that.

Realizing he hadn't answered the other boy yet, Gus glanced over to say, "It's kind of hard to describe. I guess it depends partly on whether you're the top or the bottom. I'm strictly a top," he said with just a hint of pride in his voice. Despite how much he was attracted to the guy, he wanted it made clear that Brian Kinney's son didn't bottom for _anyone, _not even someone as hot as Rob. "I suppose it hurts more if you're a bottom, at least at first until you're loosened up."

Rob gulped; just thinking about someone like Justin having his cock up his ass made him both excited as well as scared shitless. "So you've never bottomed before? Never at all?" he dared to ask his friend as he peered over at him. Gus was really an attractive guy, he realized, but his heart was set on the hot man they had just left; whatever Justin would want to do with him would be just fine.

Gus smiled as he shook his head no. "Hell, no! I don't EVER bottom and I never will."

"Why? Is it that bad?" Rob couldn't imagine anything with Justin being 'bad,' though, but it _did _sound painful.

"Not if you prepare the guy first," Gus said informatively like an expert. "Lots of lube helps; and you have to stretch him with your fingers." He dared to glance over at Rob as they neared his house and he slowed the car down. "Why?" he asked before his bravado left him. "Are you asking for a _demonstration_?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he found himself flabbergasted by his boldness. What was he thinking? Was he trying to scare the guy off before he even knew how he felt? "Just kidding," he quickly backpedaled, feeling his face grow hot. _What happened to taking it slow_?

Rob's eyes widened at the mention of Gus showing him what it was like to bottom for another guy. In a way, some first-hand experience would be beneficial because he could never see Justin as a 'bottom' and the thought that he was a virgin might turn him off. But on the other hand, maybe Justin would _like_ being his first. He chuckled nervously as Gus stopped the car and put it into park. "Uh… Yeah," he said in agreement as he unfastened his seatbelt. "I figured as much." The two boys sat there in awkward silence for a few moments more before Rob nodded in dismissal. "Well… I guess I'd better get going." He turned the side handle to open it, swinging the door wide as he turned to look over at his new friend. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow about the same time, then?"

Gus nodded; all sorts of thoughts rushing through his mind as Rob slid out of the car's seat. The other boy braced himself with his hand on the hood of the car as he leaned in.

"Yeah… I'll see you tomorrow night," Gus confirmed.

Rob nodded. "Yeah…. See you."

As Rob closed the door, Gus watched him walk up the sidewalk toward the front door and groaned. _Real smooth, shithead_, he berated himself. He couldn't wait to see Justin tomorrow morning and get his advice as well as his help with Rob; Justin would know what to do. As Rob opened the door and disappeared inside, Gus sighed as he slapped his palm against his forehead in disgust. He shook his head before he put the car into gear and slowly pulled back out into traffic, thoughts of a certain boy uppermost in his mind. First thing tomorrow, he would put his plans into motion with Justin's help.


	3. Suspicious Minds

_Gus and Justin meet at the diner to put Gus's plan into action; Brian turns a little 'green' when a package arrives at the loft._

* * *

><p><em>Thirty Minutes Later - Loft<em>

Brian glanced over from his place on the treadmill toward the door as it slid open, happy at the thought that his busy spouse was finally back home. The first thing he noticed was that it was, indeed, his husband returning from his nightly rehearsal with Gus; the second thing he noticed was that Justin had somehow managed to change clothes since the last time he had seen him. He was no longer wearing the white, sparkly, flared spandex costume that had made him look so ridiculous before. In its place was a black jacket and black skinny jeans, offset with a tight, black-and-white striped t-shirt that was so form-fitting it molded perfectly to his flat tummy and his chest. He pressed the switch to stop the treadmill as he jumped off, wandering over to his husband who was making a beeline for the refrigerator, undoubtedly to get a bottled water as he typically did when he returned.

"Hey," Justin said with a smile as he closed the refrigerator door and turned around to find Brian standing behind him; he couldn't help admiring the sweaty, muscular body displayed for his appreciation as he took a quick swig of his water and placed the bottle down on the counter. Brian had a dark-red towel slung around his neck and was wearing a pair of greenish-gray exercise shorts. It was reminiscent of a time long ago when he had gotten drunk at Woody's and come home to find Brian exercising on a floor mat, waiting for his return to show him the new computer program he had gotten for him. As he admired the lean, muscular frame, he thought Brian was very sexy when he was sweaty and half-naked. He placed his hands on Brian's biceps to lean up for a brief but passionate kiss before they broke apart.

"Hey yourself," Brian replied as he slid his arms around Justin's waist to study him. "That's not what you were wearing when you left before," he remarked, noticing how the outfit seemed to have been tailored specifically for Justin's slim form; he could see one of his nipples poking through the thin fabric of the tee shirt and his eyes darkened in response. "Where did _this _outfit come from?" He smirked. "I don't think Elvis ever looked like _this_."

Justin grinned. "I got this at the Sixties-R-Us Shop the other day when I bought the other outfit. It was out in the car; I didn't see a need to bring it in, only to have to drag it back out. This is what I'll be wearing for the _Jailhouse Rock _number. You like it?" He pulled apart from Brian to turn around and wiggle his butt seductively, glancing over his shoulder and smiling at Brian's reaction before turning back around. He really didn't have to wait for Brian's reply to know that he much preferred this outfit over the other one – all he had to do was look at his face.

Brian snorted. "If you wear that outfit, they'll be wanting to break _in, _not out." Part of him was horny as hell just looking at how the black material contrasted so dramatically with Justin's pale skin while the other part of him didn't like to think at all about what effect that outfit would no doubt have on the entire population of gay Pennsylvania once Justin got up on stage. Just the thought of his husband gyrating that bubble butt around in those tight jeans while he swayed his hips in time to the music as he sang…

"Brian?"

He blinked as he realized Justin was calling his name. "Yeah?" he said as nonchalantly as he could; by the look of amusement on Justin's face, though, it was obvious he wasn't fooling him for a second.

Justin tried to keep the pleased smile off his face but he was failing miserably as Brian scowled at him. "I said…I think that's the most quasi-romantic thing you might have ever said to me."

Brian rolled his eyes as he linked his hands around Justin's neck and stared down into his eyes. "You just make sure you tell all those horny guys that will be ogling you from the audience that all your visiting hours are reserved for your husband, you got it?"

Justin beamed at the sound of possessiveness in Brian's voice. He loved it when his husband got all 'caveman' on him. "Yes, Warden," he told him as he grinned. "I'll lock the door and throw away the key."

_You've already done that to my heart_, Brian couldn't help thinking as he leaned down to meet Justin's lips with his own for a deep, tongue-probing kiss to seal the bargain, Justin's hands coming to rest palm down on his bare chest as Brian played with the silky hair on Justin's neck that he loved so much.

As they breathlessly broke apart several seconds later, Brian glanced down and frowned. "Justin Taylor-Kinney, where is your wedding band?" In all the years they had been married, he didn't think he had ever seen it off Justin's ring finger one time – his husband wore the damn thing almost like it was some sort of badge of triumph – so the sight of it not being there was unexpectedly disconcerting. All he saw now were several chunky, gaudy-looking rings comprised of fake ruby and diamond stones, not the tasteful, understated but expensive platinum band he had purchased for their wedding several years ago. He didn't stop to think of the irony of how much Justin wearing that ring meant to him now, considering how he had never thought he would want to get married in the first place.

Justin's eyes widened in realization; he had forgotten to put his ring back on. "I forgot," he admitted sheepishly. "I took it off when I tried on the outfits down at the store and Emmett found those rings to go with them. I thought it would make the whole Elvis idea a little more authentic. But don't worry, though," he reassured him as he reached inside his shirt and pulled out a gold chain; Brian saw the familiar ring swinging from it as Justin began to take the other rings off and place them in his jacket pocket. He carefully pulled the chain up over his head and unhooked the clasp to slide the ring off before placing the chain down on the nearby kitchen counter. He was about to put the ring back on his finger when Brian's hand stopped him and he looked at him in confusion.

Brian studied his face carefully as he curled his lips under and shook his head, saying softly, "I'll do that."

Justin flushed with pleasure as he watched Brian take his hand just like he had done during the wedding ceremony and slide the ring back onto his left ring finger. The piece of jewelry back where it belonged, Justin's eyes lifted to meet his as he whispered, "There…That's looks much better."

He took the opportunity to drop Justin's hand so he could slide the short denim jacket off Justin's shoulders before he began to pull on Justin's striped t-shirt. "You know…As much as I think you look hot in that outfit, I think it's time to break out of prison and taste a little freedom instead."

Justin smiled as he allowed Brian to remove his shirt and the rest of his clothing, knowing in Brian's current state of dress it wouldn't take long for him to reciprocate. Several seconds later, he was being kissed once more to within an inch of his life as Brian walked him backward toward their bedroom.

* * *

><p><em>Thirty Minutes Later<em>

Lying on their backs, Justin played idly with the fingers of his husband's hand as it lay on top of his stomach.

Brian turned his head to kiss the top of Justin's shoulder before he asked, "So how was the guitar player?"

Justin turned to look at Brian. "Rob?" Brian nodded his head as Justin told him, "Uh…He worked out fine. He's actually better than Kevin."

"Really? That may have turned out to be a good thing that Kevin got injured, then, at least for Gus. So he's that good?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah. He didn't really know how to play any of the three songs we'll be performing, but after a few chords he was able to keep up amazingly well."

Brian arched his eyebrows, impressed. "Well, I'm glad for Sonny Boy's sake; he would have been devastated if he couldn't have resurrected the King from the dead, and all the queers in Pennsylvania would have been deprived of ogling your hot little ass."

Justin chuckled. "Why, thank you, _Mr. Kinney_," he deadpanned as Brian grinned back at him in that little-boy way, amazed that he had received two 'compliments' from his husband in less than an hour. "Well, after watching Rob play tonight, I don't think Gus has anything to worry about. He can more than keep up with us."

Brian nodded. "That's good." He gazed appreciatively over at Justin, still awed by how amazing he looked after they had sex, sort of the epitome of both debauchery and beauty, all tousled and sweaty. "I almost hate to ask, but you never told me what the third song is you're going to be singing. You're not dressing up as a teddy bear, by chance are you?"

Justin laughed with that sort of combination giggle/snicker he had that Brian found so intriguing. "No, sorry, but I don't want to be _your_ 'teddy bear' or anyone else's. We're actually doing a ballad to change things up a little."

"A ballad? A slow song?" Brian knew Elvis had sung a lot of those types of songs, some gospel, some bluegrass, but he had also sung a lot of love songs that were ballads, too. He wasn't sure exactly why, but for some reason the thought of his husband singing a love song to a gay, largely male audience sounded even more disturbing than him getting up and strutting his stuff. "Which one?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent as he tightened his grasp on Justin's hand imperceptibly.

Justin paused for a moment before he said quietly, "We're going to perform _I Can't Help Falling In Love With You_." Why was he so hesitant to tell his husband that? Could it be because _Mr_. _I Don't Do Jealous_ was actually quite jealous of others when it came to _him_? That fact made him both pleased in a smug kind of '_he's all mine and you can't have him_' sort of way, but also cautious about divulging those occasions when other men hit on him when he wasn't with Brian. Brian saw enough of that behavior anyway – actually, they _both_ did – whenever they were out together. Both of them were frequently flirted with constantly, even when it was obvious they were out together, but there were always a few horny, soused men who insisted on trying their luck anyway. Justin didn't like other admirers rubbing up against his sexy, handsome husband or trying to drag Brian away for some instant gratification any more than Brian did when it happened to him, but he seemed to be able to handle his jealousy a little better than his lover did when it did occur. His husband's normal reaction to other men flirting with him was to pointedly tell the man to fuck off first and then resort to an out-and-out physical confrontation later if he didn't get the message the first time. He, therefore, didn't think it was a good idea to tell Brian that he thought their new guitar player might have the hots for him; besides, he could still be wrong. Instead, he raised their linked hands to his lips and gave Brian's a kiss as he smiled and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Mr. Kinney; the only person I've _already_ fallen in love with is YOU."

Brian's face relaxed into a smile as he pushed on Justin's shoulder to turn him on his side to face him as he did the same, their cocks brushing up against each other and creating a sharp spark of arousal in both of them. He shrugged, trying to appear nonplussed as he responded, "Good answer, King," he proclaimed as he leaned in to kiss the soft lips; he heard a soft gasp against them in response as he threaded his leg between his husband's and pushed them tightly together. "Now why don't you _prove_ it?"

* * *

><p><em>Next Morning<em> – _Liberty Diner – 10:05 a.m._

Justin hastily threw the door open and knew before he even saw her that Debbie was working today. He knew the moment he heard the familiar, excited screech of her voice, proclaiming his arrival to everyone in the diner, whether they wanted to know or not.

"Sunshine!"

Justin never could prevent the smile that rose to his lips at her greeting; he figured even when he turned eighty and no longer had any of his real teeth left due to eating way too many sweets that Debbie would still be calling him that sugary-sweet nickname even when he was forced to wear dentures instead.

Gum popping and pencil behind her left ear, she came rushing up to him and pulled him into a tight bear hug. He grunted as the wind was practically knocked out of him before she finally let him go. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him as she asked, "Where the fuck have you _been_?"

Justin laughed as he spotted Gus over in a back booth, giving him a sympathetic grin. "Well, let's see; it's been what? Three weeks now? That's hardly a lifetime, Deb," he kidded her.

"It is when you and Brian are supposed to be at Sunday supper each week! What has he been doing to keep you away? Besides the usual, that is," she cracked. "Even _he_ can cut down on his fucking schedule one day a week!"

Justin blushed, even though he should have been quite accustomed by now to his old friend's comments regarding his and Brian's sex life. "Debbie…I already told you before on the phone," he reminded her gently. "It's just been a lot of bad timing lately. I've had to rehearse with Gus and his band every night for the past month so we're ready for the talent competition. As soon as it's over, I promise Brian and I will make it up to you."

Debbie waggled one red-lacquered index finger at him and said, "You'd better, Mister. I'm going to hold you to that. And the first Sunday after you and Gus WIN the competition, I'm going to expect you to bring your jambalaya with you for Creole night – you got it?" Lately Debbie had begun instituting a sort of ethnic slant for each Sunday dinner – Italian one week, Spanish the next, Chinese, etc.; apparently southern cuisine was going to be coming up soon.

Justin grinned as he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," he responded dutifully. "I'll make sure to bring a double batch with me."

She glared at him for a moment before her face softened and she finally nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, then – now go keep my grandson company and I'll bring you your usual; you're late."

Justin snorted as she gave him a slap on his ass and promptly rushed off, not even venturing a guess as to how she knew that; with Debbie nothing seemed to be a secret. Shaking his head, he walked over to Gus and sat down opposite him. "Hi – sorry I'm a little late." He slid his portfolio off his shoulder and placed it down on the seat next to him, noticing Gus sipping on a glass of orange juice. "Did you order already?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah." He yawned, not having gotten much sleep last night. Between his anxiety over their upcoming appearance at the state-wide talent competition and his preoccupation with Rob, his mind had been in a continual whirl all night long. In his restless dreams, he had kept thinking about ways that he and his new friend could 'celebrate' once they had won the contest. Of course, the two cans of Mountain Dew he had drunk with his pizza probably hadn't helped him to sleep, either. He knew better than to drink that shit so late at night but he was practically addicted to it. He nodded toward Justin's portfolio. "I see you brought your supplies." Now that Justin was finally here, his hands felt clammy. He knew Justin of all people would understand how he felt – after all, he had been about the same age when he had fallen in love with his father – but he was still nervous. It did help to have an artist in the family, though, especially for what he had in mind.

Justin nodded as he peered over at his stepson, noticing he was either worried or nervous about something; he could see him fidgeting slightly and twisting a strand of his hair in his fingers, two things he commonly did when he was feeling anxious. "Okay, Gus, you told me you needed to see me about your Dad. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Pops…" Gus was spared the need to explain for the time being when they were unexpected interrupted.

"Here you go, Boys!" Debbie cried out enthusiastically as she placed the morning special of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and a biscuit down in front of Gus and Justin's usual order of French Toast with maple syrup and butter, sausage links and two pieces of whole wheat toast (the only improvement Brian had managed to make in his normal breakfast eating habits). Flipping over Justin's ceramic coffee mug with her left hand, she reached to grab the coffee carafe at the same time with her other hand as Kiki started to walk away with it, using her years of practice to deftly pour the hot liquid into Justin's cup in the blink of an eye.

Justin grinned over at Gus in amusement as Debbie stood there for a moment, apparently waiting to find out what they were meeting about. Unfortunately, though, even if Justin _wanted_ to tell her, he really had no idea other than Gus said it had something to do with Brian. "Thanks, Deb," he murmured with a polite smile of dismissal, hoping she would take the hint. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you at Sunday dinner after the competition."

Debbie stood there, one hand on her hip, as a flash of what appeared to be disappointment flickered over her face before she assumed a more neutral expression and nodded in resignation. "Yeah…Well. You'd better _both_ be there – all three of you!" She frowned momentarily, realizing that didn't really make sense before she nodded her head and walked away to wait on another diner.

Justin and Gus looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing. "Debbie…You gotta love her," Justin said as Gus nodded.

"By the way, I know WHY Debbie calls you _Sunshine_, but I don't think you ever told me when she first called you that."

Justin chuckled. "Your Dad never told you?"

Gus shook his head.

Justin smiled in recollection; in some ways it seemed like so long ago, and yet in other ways it seemed like yesterday. Where had all the time gone? That had happened right after Gus had been born, and now here he was, speaking to the same child who was now almost the same age as he was when it had first happened. "She gave me that nickname the first night I met her, right here in this diner," he told his stepson. "I was sitting at the counter with Michael when she came up to wait on us. At the time I had no idea she was related to him – I just thought she was one of the weirdest people I had ever met. I even called her a freak to Michael's face after she left to place our order," he divulged as Gus's eyes widened in shock. He nodded. "Yeah, I did," he verified with a smile as Gus looked at him incredulously. "Of course, I was embarrassed as hell when I found out that she was Michael's mother. But he didn't take offense to it - he just kind of smiled like he understood. And I don't think she would have, either; I think she would have gotten a kick out of it instead."

His eyes glanced over to the round, vinyl seat he had occupied at the counter that night; it still looked just like it did back then. "I can remember her coming up to me and saying, "Can't cruise on an empty stomach, Sunshine," and she patted my cheek just like she was greeting some chubby little baby. Made me feel like I was about six months old," he said with a wry grin as he gazed over at her as she spoke to a group of four men clustered around one of the other booths nearby. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but by the look on her face he knew she was straightening them out about something or giving them unsolicited advice, just like she always did. Debbie's ability to cut to the chase and tell you something that maybe you didn't want to hear but needed to know anyway was one of the qualities he most admired in her. He smiled at her fondly. "She's quite a lady, in a lot of ways." He caught her eye as she smiled back at him before walking over to place the group's order at the cook's pass-through window, smacking her gum as she flitted about the room like a bee around honey. It was nice to know that while Gus had grown up practically in the blink of an eye that some things hadn't changed.

He returned his attention back to his stepson now, noticing him still idly twisting a strand of his hair. "Okay," he began as he peered over at his dining companion intently. "What did you need to tell me about your dad?"

Gus looked at him sheepishly. "Actually, I don't need to talk to you about him; that was just something I made up so Rob didn't know the _real _reason."

"I don't understand, Gus. You told me point blank that it had to do with your dad; you know how much I hate keeping things from him. You had me worried all night long that something was wrong!"

"I'm sorry, Pops, really. It's just that…" Gus let out a heavy sigh. "I couldn't tell you the real reason why I needed to see you while Rob was there because it had to do with _him_."

Justin frowned. "It does? I thought he did great last night. You're not happy with him taking Kevin's place?" He looked down at his portfolio lying next to him that Gus had asked him to bring this morning. None of Gus's behavior was making any sense, but then again, the boy was a teenager. He wasn't so old as to not remember how mixed up he appeared at times to everyone else, too. "Gus, you'd better tell me what's going on."

"Did you know Rob is gay?" was the unexpected question.

_Uh, oh_. Justin wondered just how to answer that question. No, Rob hadn't quite come out and said as much, but the way he thought the other boy was staring at him certainly gave him what he thought was a clear signal that he was. As Gus peered over at him, he took a quick sip of his coffee before he decided to play it safe for now. "No," he told his stepson. "He didn't say anything about that to me." _At least that part was the truth_. "Are you saying he is?"

Gus nodded as one finger idly played with the condensation on his juice glass. For some reason, he couldn't quite look Justin in the eye now that the conversation was turning more toward the real reason why he needed to see him. "Yeah. He told me not too long after we first met, actually. We were talking about it on the way home last night, too." He finally lifted his eyes to meet Justin's probing ones as he lowered his voice and said, "He's never, uh, you know. Just kissing and jacking other guys off." He glanced down at his food and picked up a strip of bacon to munch on, feeling a little awkward as he waited for Justin to respond.

Justin nodded, not quite sure where this conversation was heading but starting to get an inkling; Gus's whole face was transforming into something bordering on excitement as he continued to talk about Rob. A feeling of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach as his worst fears were confirmed when Gus continued.

"I really like him, Justin. A lot." Gus smiled in relief now that he had told Justin how he felt, the words pouring out of him like lava. "I feel so comfortable around him and we have so much in common. We both like the same video games, the same movies, the same music…."

Justin watched as Gus's face became animated the longer he spoke; it reminded him of the way Gus used to be when he was a lot younger and was talking about his favorite toy that he wanted for his birthday or for Christmas. It was clear that his stepson was smitten with this new boy; the only question was, did Rob reciprocate the feeling? Something told him the other boy felt something for _someone_, but he was afraid it wasn't Gus. The worst possible scenario was that his tenderhearted stepson might be falling hard for this boy, only to find out he didn't feel the same way. Justin was only too painfully aware of how that would feel; for the longest time Brian had tried hard to push him away and reject him, too.

"What about _him_, Gus?" he questioned gently. "Any idea how he feels about _you_?"

Gus sighed as he shook his head. "No, not really," he admitted glumly. "I mean, he's friendly enough to me and all, but he's that way with Dave, too." He peered into the sympathetic eyes of his stepfather as he added, "We were talking last night on the way home about, well, our experience. That's when he told me he had never had sex with another guy yet." He pulled back abruptly as Kiki came walking up to refill Justin's coffee cup, thankful that it wasn't Debbie or she would be hovering around them in blatant curiosity. He waited until Justin had nodded his thanks to her and she had walked away before he admitted, "I couldn't keep thinking on the way home what it would feel like to be his first, Justin. And I couldn't stop thinking about it all night long, too. Do you know how awesome that feels, just thinking about the possibility?" It wasn't that Gus hadn't had the experience before; he had been the first guy to fuck a couple of his schoolmates in the past, but each time it had been a one-time thing merely to fulfill his urges for the night and to satisfy the other boy's curiosity. He had never felt quite this way about another guy before, and as a result somehow he knew that one time wouldn't be enough with Rob.

Justin smiled. "Yeah, I do," he said softly as his mind floated back to his first time with Brian. Of course, he had been on the receiving end of that experience, but it had still been unforgettable; the first time he had actually fucked another guy was when he had won the King of Babylon contest and was feeling smug and confident enough to steal that twink of Brian's out from under his nose to teach him a lesson. It had been a heady experience, having that power and control over someone else. He could only imagine, though, what it might have felt like to have fucked someone that he actually had such deep feelings for like he had with Brian. It would have definitely made the experience even more intense. If it would be anything remotely like the first time Brian had let him top, for instance, he knew it would be a life-altering moment for Gus.

Gus grinned, realizing why Justin of all people would understand. It still felt a little weird to be talking about sex with his stepfather, but he had known Justin all his life and knew if anyone would be straight with him (no pun intended), it would be his stepfather. "Yeah, I guess you would," he told him as Justin nodded back at him. "That's why I wanted to talk to you, then; that and get you to do a favor for me."

Justin frowned; a favor? He wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but he loved Gus and if he could help him he had to try. "I'll do whatever I can, Gus, you know that. What sort of favor?" Noticing his food was getting cold, he quickly cut up some of his French toast and stabbed a large bite to put it in his mouth. He thought Gus looked embarrassed for some reason as he eyed him intently from across the booth's table.

Gus put the last part of his bacon strip in his mouth, the rest of his food forgotten as he revealed, "I'd like you to sketch something for me. Something that will tell Rob how I feel about him without my having to actually come out and say it." He swallowed a lump in his throat over the thought that maybe Rob didn't feel the same way about him as he felt, but he had to find out one way or the other; the suspense was killing him. "I just hope he feels the same way."

Justin sighed. _Shit. _He had a sneaking suspicion that the boy was interested in _someone_, all right, but his worst fear was that it wasn't Gus. God knows he had seen enough guys who were interested in him to see the signs, and he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that Rob had been looking at him the same way last night when he thought he wasn't being observed; he had that dreamy sort of look that HE had had when he fantasized about Brian after _they _had first met. What in hell was he going to do if he was right? _Please…Let me be wrong this time_. He supposed it was possible…Wasn't it? "What do you want me to draw for you?"

Gus looked down at the table as he played with his silverware, studiously avoiding Justin's curious gaze. Finally, he looked over at Justin and taking a deep breath told him, "I was thinking about maybe something that would tie into our song last night – _Jailhouse Rock_. I thought it would be neat if you could draw a three-dimensional heart kind of like it was behind bars with a caption on the top that says, "_You've stolen my heart." _Several seconds ticked by as he waited for Justin to reply, but he remained silent. "Aargh!" he muttered finally as he rubbed his face with his hands in consternation. "I _knew_ it! You think it's a stupid idea, don't you?"

"No!" Justin reassured him with a shake of his head, feeling terrible that Gus assumed that. Actually, he was impressed with his idea – he thought it was creative and sweet. Yes, it was 'ridiculously romantic,' as his father would put it. And yes, Brian would probably cringe if he knew what his son was thinking of doing. Brian would just tell him to go out and fuck the guy and get it over with, although over the years his husband had changed somewhat. Of course, Brian's idea of being 'romantic' was to bring home his favorite Chinese takeout or a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream from the corner grocery and use it somehow while they were having sex. Oh, and there were the occasional surprise 'business' locations they traveled to for Kinnetik's clients that just 'happened' to have terrific art museums and thriving artist colonies. Justin treasured each and every one of his husband's unorthodox gifts that he gave him that clearly demonstrated his love for him. But to openly profess his love on a piece of paper like some sappy Hallmark card? Not in a million years, and if Brian knew his only son was thinking of doing something like that he would probably permanently disown him in a heartbeat.

"No, Gus," he repeated with a smile as he looked at him. "I think it's very sweet and original." He noticed Gus's face relaxing in relief as he cautioned him, "I just hope he feels the same way, that's all."

"You don't think it's possible, do you?" Gus countered defensively, a hard edge to his voice.

Justin cringed inside; he wasn't about to tell Gus that he had a strong suspicion that Rob had a crush on _him_, but at the same time he didn't want to mislead him, either. He couldn't bear to hurt Gus, though; he just wished that Rob would feel the same way. He smiled tenderly at the teenage boy as he said, "Yes, of course I think it's possible. He would be crazy not to see what a great guy you are, Gus." He was rewarded with a grateful look in return as he stood up and reached for his portfolio. "Now let's see what we can do about your drawing, okay?"

* * *

><p><em>Thirty Minutes Later <em>

Sitting side by side now, Justin finished filling in the rest of the sketch as Gus watched in rapt fascination. He always had been impressed by his stepfather's artistic skill ever since he could remember, and this was no exception. It was almost as if Justin could read his mind as the idea he presented to him took shape on paper.

Finally, Justin placed his colored pencil down on the table and leaned back; he took his right hand in his left and placed it in his lap, hoping Gus wouldn't notice that it was bothering him. He supposed he had gotten used to it in a way, but it still irked the shit out of him that even now after all these years that one night of stupidity by Chris Hobbs could still affect him. He wished fleetingly that Brian was around to massage it between his long fingers and help take the sting away like he always did, but he forced himself to plaster a neutral expression on his face so Gus wouldn't realize what was wrong and feel guilty about it as he turned to look at him and ask with a smile, "Is that what you had in mind?" He had to admit – it was a great idea if you were trying to impress someone. He knew if a guy had sent this to _him_, he would have been quite flattered. It really was amazing that his stepson wound up being a lot more like him when it came to relationships than his real father did, but he found himself secretly pleased that he had.

Gus shook his head in amazement. "This is even better than I had dreamed up!" he remarked with a whistle of appreciation. Justin had drawn a large red heart behind bars, just like he had requested, but he had added what looked like a prisoner's black-and-white sleeved arm above reaching inside the bars to steal it. In perfect letters above the sketch he had drawn the saying that he had requested. It was incredible.

He beamed over at Justin. "It's perfect, Justin! Thanks."

Justin smiled at him as he carefully tore the page out of his book and handed it to Gus. "Quick – hide it!" he suddenly whispered as he noticed Debbie approaching from several feet away. Gus quickly rolled it up and tucked it under the table just as Debbie walked up to them, eyeing them suspiciously.

Both looked guilty about something, she decided, not to mention that they were sitting side by side now and Justin has a blank sketchpad out in front of him. Even more strange was the fact that neither one had finished much of their breakfast. Now she knew there was _definitely_ something going on.

"Neither one of you hungry this morning?" she asked as her eyes bore into both of her 'boys.' "Something wrong with the food?"

"No, Deb," Justin assured her with a smile as Gus looked over at him for direction. After all, Justin had had much more experience dealing with a persistent Debbie than he had. "We just got a little preoccupied with talking about our strategy for the upcoming competition, that's all."

Debbie glanced down at the now-blank sketchpad and then back to the two co-conspirators, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Why did you have to change places just to talk?" she pointed out.

"It was easier that way," Gus interjected quickly. "It was starting to get noisy in here." As if to prove his point, Kikki dropped a dish nearby and the three of them jumped.

Debbie still wasn't buying it, though, but on the other hand she couldn't quite figure out what was going on, either, to her great consternation. Finally, she nodded her head downward toward their plates as she cryptically said, "You done, then?"

Justin sighed softly in relief. "Yeah, thanks," he told her with a nod as she reached and picked up their two breakfast plates. The chef calling for her that someone's food was ready fortunately distracted her as she told them sternly, "Sunday dinner after you two win – be there!" She began to walk away as she shouted at the chef, "Keep your fucking shirt on! The pig's already dead anyway!"

Justin and Gus turned to look at each other and couldn't help laughing. "Like I said," Justin replied. "You gotta love her, even if she _does_ want to know everything's that going on."

Gus let out an audible breath to release the tension in his body as he told Justin, "I'm so glad she didn't see what you were doing; I would have been so embarrassed!"

Justin smiled at him in understanding. "I know what you mean," he told him. He glanced up at the clock, noticing it was almost noon. They had been there for two hours? "Listen, Gus, I need to go," he said apologetically. "I've got a painting I need to work on down at the studio, and then I told your dad I'd meet him at Kinnetik for a late lunch. I'll see you later for rehearsals, though, okay?"

Gus scooted out of the seat to allow Justin to leave. "Yeah. That's okay – I have some things to do, anyway."

Justin nodded as he slid his sketchpad back into his portfolio and slung it over his shoulder in preparation to leave. He placed his hand on Gus's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'll see you later, then."

Gus nodded, the rolled-up drawing in his hand. "Thanks again for your help with this, Pops. It's great."

Justin smiled. "I hope it does the trick for you, Buddy. Are you going to give it to him tonight?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to be there when he did or not, though; if the boy rejected his heartfelt advances, he suspected Gus would be crushed. What that would do to their band, too, was another concern, but he was more worried about Gus's feelings. He couldn't very well discourage Gus from telling Rob how he felt, though; unfortunately, Gus would have to handle whatever happened as a result of his disclosure, good or bad, and so would their hopes of competing as a band.

To his surprise, Gus shook his head. "No. I think I'll just slip it in his mailbox on the way home. I think it would be better that way, don't you? Give him time to think about it and all." Gus secretly was still a little afraid of what Rob would think; he thought it might be smarter, then, to let him know how he felt ahead of time without the added pressure of Dave and Justin being witness to his declaration.

Justin nodded as he reached up and lightly ruffled Gus's hair fondly; he knew the teen wasn't a child anymore, but he still couldn't help repeating the same gesture he had performed so many times before when he was a lot younger. Besides, Gus didn't seem to mind when he did it; in fact, he thought he secretly liked it. "Yeah, maybe that would be best," he told him softly. "Are you picking the other guys up again like you did last night?

Gus nodded. "Yeah. I'll be picking up Rob first, though; he's the closest. That way the two of us can have some time alone, too, before I pick Dave up. I should know what his reaction was to the drawing by then. Wish me luck."

Justin smiled at him fondly, silently praying that everything would happen as Gus hoped it would. "You know I do," he told him. "I'll see you later."

"Later," Gus said in an eerie resemblance to his father; he sounded an and looked so much like him, Justin thought as he turned to leave, hoping things would work out for his stepson.

* * *

><p>Gus smiled as Justin left and sat down for a moment to unroll the amazing sketch that Justin had done for him. It was perfect. Not too sappy, he hoped, but romantic and unique enough to really tell Rob how he felt. He would stop on the way home to purchase a plain, brown mailing envelope and place it in the mailbox with Rob's name on it; he knew the mailman always came early so he would have already come before he placed it in there. He would seal it tightly so no one else would open it, hoping that Rob would be the one home when the mail was retrieved.<p>

He smiled at the nickname that Rob had started calling him: _Jammers_. Picking up the drawing, he fished in his jeans pocket before he found the black Sharpie he had brought with him and after giving it some thought where to place it, he finally scribbled a fancy-looking initial "J" in the lower right-hand corner. Pleased with his handiwork, he carefully rolled it back up and stood up to go.

* * *

><p><em>Thirty Minutes Later <em>

Gus glanced up nervously at Rob's house as he slowed down in front of the mailbox, pulling over on the wrong side of the road for just a second so he could quickly open the flap of the box from the driver's side and slide his special package inside. He noticed his hand shaking slightly as he pressed the button to slide his window down and open the front of the plain, rubberized mailbox. Reaching over to the passenger seat to pick up the plain brown envelope, he took one more look up at the house to make sure Rob wasn't looking and quickly pushed the package inside on top of the other pieces of mail. Taking a peek in the rearview mirror for any other traffic, he smiled in satisfaction as he slowly pulled back over to the right side of the road and crept torward his own house a couple of doors down, anxiously waiting for his new friend's reaction.

* * *

><p>Rob rubbed the crumbs of his ham sandwich from his faded pair of jeans as he stood up from the kitchen table and carried his plate and glass over to the sink; peering out of the window, he noticed the flag down on the mailbox, indicating the birthday card his mother had mailed out to his older brother who was in college had been picked up by the postman.<p>

Walking down the sidewalk from the house to the street a few minutes later, he opened the box and immediately noticed a large, brown, plain envelope on top with no stamp or return address, just his name printed in neat, black capital letters: "Rob."

Frowning, he hurriedly carried the mail back into the house and, setting down the rest of today's deliveries on the kitchen counter, he walked over and sat back down at the small, oval-sized dinette table to run his thumb under the flap of the brown envelope to open it. A few seconds later, he peered inside to see what it was and frowned. It appeared to have a single, ivory-colored sheet inside of some type. Grasping it and sliding it out, he initially thought it was just a plain piece of paper. Turning it over, though, his heart began to pound in his chest as he noticed what he was and his face lit up with a beaming smile. _Oh, my God!_ he thought in excited elation as he noticed the carefully-drawn image and the large letter "J" in the lower right-hand corner. _This must be from Justin!_ Gus had told him that Justin was an acclaimed artist and this proved it – the drawing was simple but inventive in its design, and he noticed that Justin had even used part of his outfit's tee-shirt from last night to draw a hand plucking the heart out from behind the prison bars. It was skillfully drawn, but it was the words above the drawing that made his pulse race: _You've Stolen My Heart._

"I don't believe it," he murmured as he stared down at the drawing while his hands shook, almost finding it too hard to comprehend that someone as hot as Justin was actually attracted to him, too. Here it was in full, living, glorious color, though; there could be no mistaking those romantic words. Of course someone like Justin would find a creative way to express how he felt toward him, he thought. He stared intently at the words again as he shook his head in amazement, knowing the next move had to be up to him. How would someone like Justin expect him to reciprocate? Somehow just calling him up on the phone and telling him he felt the same way seemed so…_juvenile_. He supposed he could just show up at his studio, but then again, he had no easy way to get there, at least not until Gus showed up later to take him and Dave to rehearsals again. He couldn't wait, anyway, to let Justin know that he felt the same way, but what could he do?

Obviously from the heartfelt words written on the paper, Justin was a sentimental, romantic soul, so in his mind there could only be one response to this. He sighed, though, as realized he had no idea where Justin lived, only where his studio was located.

As inspiration hit him as walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, flipping his laptop open that was sitting on the coffee table and waiting impatiently as it booted up. A few minutes later, he had accessed the website for the Allegheny County Auditor's office, punching in Justin's name in the 'property search' link and smiling as two entries came up: one for the building they were practicing in and another one on Fuller Street; he was too excited to notice that there was another name attached to the second property's tax record as he hurriedly jotted down the address and closed his computer to pick up his cell phone, flipping through the business entries until he located the phone number for a florist.

As he dialed the number with shaky hands, he knew what he was about to do would take a large chunk of his birthday money he had just received last week, but he didn't care. If it impressed Justin, it would be more than worth it. Someone like him deserved to be treated to the best, and it was important that he not think of him as some teenage kid. The fact that Justin felt something for him, though, emboldened him as he dialed the number and after a few rings a polite sounding female said, "Blooming Bouquets, Nicole speaking, how may I help you?"

Rob cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh, I'd like to order some flowers, but I need them delivered today. Is that possible?"

"That's pretty short notice," Nicole told him as Rob's heart sank. "But if the address is close enough and it's in our delivery radius today, it's still possible. There is a $5.00 surcharge for expedited service, however. Are you still interested?"

Rob sighed. Five dollars was a lot for someone his age, but he knew Justin was worth it. "Yeah."

"Okay. Let me check to see if we can still deliver today. What's the address?"

"Six Fuller Street."

"Just a minute, sir, let me check our delivery route for today." Rob held his breath as he waited impatiently for her to return to the phone; approximately a minute later, he heard her say, 'You're in luck, Sir. We have another delivery two blocks away from there. We should be able to deliver your order before five p.m. Would that be satisfactory for you?"

Rob smiled in delight; that should be perfect. Justin should be home by then, getting dressed to go back out for their rehearsals. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Okay. What sort of occasion is it?"

Rob hesitated. "Well, it's not really for a special occasion," he divulged. "More like a thinking of you, I guess."

"Lucky gal," the woman said. "Even better."

Rob took a deep breath. "Actually, it's for a guy."

There was a pause on the other end before the woman said, "Oh. Sorry. I just assumed…"

"That's okay," Rob said hastily, not wanting to waste any time. He knew he only had a few hours to take care of what he needed to do; it was vital that Justin know how he felt right away before they met up again this evening. His pulse raced at the thought of their meeting this evening; he knew the two of them would have to play it cool until they could be alone, but at least he could tell Justin how he felt in the meantime.

"And the name of the recipient?" He heard her say.

Rob smiled wistfully as he thought of who it was being delivered to, imagining the look of surprised delight on Justin's beautiful face as he opened his gift. "Justin. Justin Taylor."

"Justin Taylor. Okay. Well, then…Do you have any idea what type of flower or plant you want to send to him?"

Rob smiled. "Yeah…I was thinking of a dozen red roses. Do you have the long-stem kind?" His dad has purchased some like that for his mom for their wedding anniversary recently and they had been both impressively elegant as well as absolutely beautiful, much like how he thought of Justin.

"Yes, Sir, we carry both economically-priced red roses as well as the long-stem kind. A dozen of the kind you're requesting with baby's breath and greenery in a maroon box with a large, gold bow will run you $45.95 plus tax and delivery charges. Would you like me to total that up for you?"

Rob gulped. $45.95 plus tax AND delivery charges_? Holy shit_. That would take up pretty much all of the $75 he had accumulated for his birthday. He swallowed hard before he decided if it would mean that Justin would know how much he liked him, it would be worth it. "Yeah," he finally managed to say.

"Just a moment, Sir." Again there was several seconds pause before the woman came back on the line to advise him, "Including the charge for the flowers, sales tax, regular delivery rate plus the $5.00 surcharge, that will be a total of $55.74. Shall I place the order for you? I need to do that within the next fifteen minutes in order to guarantee delivery today."

"Whew," Rob breathed out softly in astonishment. Fifty-six dollars for fucking flowers? At that rate, they ought to be dipped in 24-carat gold. He took a deep breath before saying, "Yeah, I'd like to go ahead and order them."

"Very good, Sir, which credit card will you be using today?"

_Shit_. "Credit card? I was hoping to just pay cash."

"I'm sorry, Sir. In order to place an order over the phone, we must have a credit card. You could come down in person to pay cash, but I would need you here within fifteen minutes or we wouldn't be able to deliver the flowers until tomorrow at the earliest."

_Think, idiot, think! _Rob berated himself. Of _course_ they would need a credit card! "Could you hold on for just a minute?" he asked.

"Sure, but again I need to place this order right away if you want these delivered today."

"I'll be right back, I promise," Rob vowed as he hurriedly walked over to his mother's desk located in an alcove under the stairs leading to the second floor; his mother used it as her makeshift office for her real estate transactions when she was at home. Pulling out the middle drawer, he sighed in relief as he located his father's Visa card that his mom kept there for when she needed to order things on the web or over the phone. He would have to give his mom the cash when the bill came, as well as probably do some fancy footwork to explain why he had spent such an outrageous amount with a florist. He would cross that bridge when he came to it, though; in the meantime if this made Justin happy and it impressed him, it would definitely be worth it. "I've got what you need," he told the woman over the phone. "It'll be a Visa."

"Okay, may I have the number and expiration date please? I also need the name as it is written on the card."

A minute or two later, Rob had given the woman what she needed to get his order placed, except for one thing. "Okay, Sir, I need to know what you want me to say on the card that will accompany the flowers."

Rob smiled; that was going to be the easy part. "I want it to say – _You've stolen my heart, too."_

"Aww…That's so sweet," Nicole murmured in appreciation. "What a great thing to say! I'm sure the recipient will be swept off his feet."

"Thanks, I hope so," Rob said fervently.

"And how would you like it signed, Sir?"

Rob thought about that; should he just sign it "Rob?" Was it even necessary, though? After all, Justin had left the envelope in his mailbox, saying practically the same thing. "Uh, no name, just the saying I gave you," he finally decided, thinking it was redundant. Besides, he kind of liked being somewhat mysterious about the whole thing.

"Very well, Sir," Nicole told him. "I'll get this processed immediately and get it on the delivery truck. Will there be anything else I can help you with today?"

Rob smiled, pleased with his efforts to impress Justin. "No, that's good. Thanks."

"Thank _you_, Sir," Nicole told him politely. "Il hope you'll think of us again if the need arises."

As Rob hung up the phone, he nibbled on his thumb nervously, knowing the next few hours would be the longest of his life until he could see Justin again. Reaching over to pick up Kevin's guitar, he began to practice the strums of "_I Can't Help Falling In Love With You_," thinking how appropriate that was now.

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Later – Loft<em>

Brian barely had time to enter the loft and place his briefcase down before the door buzzer sounded. Taking a few seconds to loosen his tie that was beginning to feel like a constricted hangman's noose, he grumbled under his breath in aggravation as he walked over to press the button. "Yeah?"

"Delivery from Blooming Bouquets," a male voice intoned.

Brian frowned. _A florist? What the fuck?_ He shrugged. In his business, it wasn't unusual for him to receive tokens of appreciation from clients, but normally they were delivered to Kinnetik instead. He took a breath and let it out before engaging the front door release. "Sixth floor – come on up," he instructed as he shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it over the nearby desk chair. He just had enough time to walk over and grab a bottle of cold water out of the fridge before the buzzer sounded again, indicating the visitor was at his door.

Walking over and sliding the door back, he noticed a young, dark-haired man of about twenty or so, holding a long, sleek-looking maroon box with an outrageously large gold foil bow tied around it. When he was a lot younger, Brian would have done a lot more than merely noticing how hot the man was – he would have given him a huge 'tip' for his troubles by dragging him inside the loft and promptly fucking him in payment – but times had changed; _he_ had changed. It was amazing what being in love with a fiery, beautiful, passionate, sexy husband could do for your libido and your ability to be stay monogamous. He peered down at the young man expectantly, who flushed at the scrutiny as he held out his clipboard. "Would you sign here, Sir?"

Brian hastily scrawled his signature on the indicated line and fished out a $5.00 bill as the delivery guy handed the large box over to him. Taking a moment to admire the man's ass framed in the rather tight blue jeans – after all, he was married, not _dead _– he turned and swung the loft door closed to study the box cradled in his hands. He noticed a small, white envelope tucked under part of the ribbon and slid it out, noticing with surprise that the delivery wasn't for him – it was for _Justin_. Why would HE be getting a flower delivery? Could it be from a satisfied art patron who had purchased one of his paintings? He placed the box down on the desk nearby as he held the small envelope in his hand and debated what to do. His husband's name was written neatly in capital, block letters on the front; there was no indication who had sent them, however, but he did notice the back flap of the envelope was merely tucked in, not sealed. He glanced over again at the box, his simmering emotions warring with the knowledge that he should wait until Justin got home to have his burning question answered. The box couldn't contain a plant – that would have come wrapped up in some sort of tissue paper or adorned simply with a bow on top, not contained inside a box. No, that box had to hold flowers of some sort. Why would someone be sending his husband _flowers_?

He idly fingered the card, torn between dying to know who had sent the box and feeling guilty about even considering opening it. Didn't he trust Justin's love for him? Hadn't he learned his lesson before when he had followed Justin around like some suspicious housewife, only to find out his husband was having a 'non-affair' with his son? They had been together – happy together – for years now; wasn't that proof of Justin's fidelity and love for him?

His decision made, he reluctantly turned and replaced the card where he had found it, standing there in extreme curiosity and silently wishing Justin would show up so all his doubts could be put to rest. He was sure his active, jealous imagination was simply running away from him, and as soon as Justin got here all his fears would be put to rest. Wouldn't they?

Sighing, he cast one more intense look over at the elegantly-appointed box before walking over to the bedroom and taking off his suit clothes to slip into more casual attire. Dressed several seconds later in a pair of well-loved jeans with the top unbuttoned and bare feet only, he heard the door to the loft sliding open and hurried over to greet his husband. He noticed Justin had changed from his Elvis duds into more 'normal' painting attire. Even now after all his success Justin still preferred his sneakers, jeans, and a paint-smudged, long-sleeved gray tee-shirt with a V-neck, even though he was long past the point where he could afford to buy more tasteful (read: expensive) clothes.

His heart fluttered as Justin spotted him coming out of the bedroom and smiled at him warmly. "Hey, you're home early," he observed in pleasure. Lately, with Brian typically coming home after he did, they only had a short time together before he had to go back out to the studio to rehearse with Gus and his friends. Tonight, however, Brian had managed somehow to come home early enough that he might have time to defrost a couple of steaks and throw some baked potatoes in the microwave for their dinner so they could eat together. "What's the occasion?" He walked up to Brian, who promptly bent his upper body back to bestow a mind-numbing kiss on his lips, his husband's hands firmly capturing him by his lower back in a vise-like embrace. Gasping a little at the forcefulness, Brian finally broke off their kiss as Justin strove to regain his breath. "Wow! What was _that_ for?" he asked with a chuckle as he brought his hands up to link them behind Brian's neck and stared into the intense, greenish-gold eyes.

Brian couldn't help drinking in the sight of his beautiful husband. If Justin _was_ messing around with someone else, he certainly didn't show it; the eyes peering up at him in amusement were full of love and tenderness, of that he was sure. But what about the flowers, then? The thought of the earlier delivery made his face darken a little as he announced, "A package came for you a little while ago."

Justin's brows narrowed as he craned his head around like a little kid looking for his most-desired Christmas present. "Where? What package?"

Brian stared into his eyes, looking for any signs of duplicity but finding none as he jerked his head toward the right and advised curtly, "Over there." He let Justin go as the blond began to look around until his eyes settled on the long, maroon-colored box lying on their desk.

He frowned for a second in surprise as he recognized what the package was until he turned to look at Brian and a pleased gleam appeared in his eyes. "Brian…You _didn't_." His face began to break out into an astonished, delighted smile before Brian sobered and shook his head firmly as he flatly stated, "No, I didn't; they're not from ME."

"They're not?"

Brian shook his head as he studied Justin's reaction; he certainly seemed surprised enough. "No. Open them." The last part came out as more of a demand rather than a request as Justin nodded and walked over to pick up the box. He slid the wide, gold ribbon down the length of the box to remove it, not noticing the white envelope that fell to the floor as he sat the box down on top of the desk and lifted the lid to find out what was inside. As he placed the lid down, he reached and pulled the two sides of the green tissue apart to reveal the most beautiful red roses he had ever seen. They were long-stem varieties nestled in between abundant stalks of white baby's breath and ferns; he noticed even the thorns had already been removed. He stared at them curiously for a little while until he finally reached down and tentatively picked up one perfect bloom to hold it up in front of his nose to inhale the intoxicating fragrance. "These are beautiful," he couldn't help exclaiming in appreciation. He looked over just then to see Brian eyeing him intently, his eyes darkened and his brow furrowed. Hastily but carefully placing the rose back down in the box, he gently pushed some of the other blooms aside in an attempt to locate who the sender was as he heard Brian say gruffly behind him, "It's on the floor."

Justin pulled back from his place at the desk and peered down, noticing a small, white envelope lying upside down under the wooden chair. Stooping down to pick it up, he noticed his first and last name neatly written on the outside in black letters before he turned the envelope over and slid the flap out to open it up. Taking one more look over at Brian, who was standing silent and still nearby, he slid the card out from the envelope and read the message inside: _You've Stolen My Heart, Too._ His face turned white and his hand began to shake as he placed it down on the desk and whispered one word. "Fuck."

As he watched his husband's face pale and his eyes widen in recognition, Brian's heart sank; Justin obviously knew who had sent the flowers and his reaction wasn't what he would expect from someone who had merely been sent a token of appreciation from an art patron. Besides, an admirer of his work wouldn't have sent him long-stemmed, red roses.

He watched as Justin covered his mouth with his hand like he was embarrassed or worried over being caught and he felt his blood beginning to boil; images of the man he loved being wooed by someone else like the fucking fiddler swirled around in his mind as he fought to tamp them down until he could hear what he hoped was a reasonable explanation from his husband. _It had better be a doozy_,_ too,_ he thought, although he couldn't imagine what it would be.

He took a deep breath and with deadly calm asked, "Who sent them, Justin?"

Justin looked over at him in apprehension, realizing now that his initial suspicions about Rob had been correct. What he couldn't understand, though, was how did Rob get the impression that _he_ had sent the drawing? He recalled his and Gus's conversation earlier at the diner, realizing now with dismay that neither one of them had thought about identifying who the sender was. Hadn't Gus signed it somehow or written some sort of note with it so Rob would know who his admirer was? He sighed heavily; apparently not, because Rob obviously thought the drawing had come from him. As he glanced over anxiously at Brian, too, he realized something else. Someone was jumping to horrible conclusions.

"Brian…This isn't what you think, believe me," he stammered as he walked over toward his husband who was standing there with his arms crossed, his body rigid and still with barely restrained control; he lifted his arms with the intention of grasping Brian's biceps to reason with him, but Brian immediately stepped back just enough to prevent it. "Shit, I can't believe this," Justin muttered as he shook his head at his husband's childishness. "What a fucked-up mess! Brian…"

"Just answer my question, damn it," Brian growled as his dark eyes burnt into his husband's.

Justin sighed as he reached his hand out toward Brian who continued to stand there with his hands firmly crossed over his chest in defiance. "Oh, for…Are we going down this road _again_?" He shook his head and dropped his hand to his side in disgust over Brian's jealousy as well as the tangled mess that had been created between Rob, Gus, and himself. "Brian, for God's sake!" he muttered in aggravation. "Aargh! Okay, have it YOUR way, you stubborn asshole! The flowers are from Rob – but it's all a big, fucking misunderstanding!"

Brian glared at Justin's confession until his brain registered who Rob was and he laughed incredulously. "Rob? The kid who's in your band? The replacement guitar player? What, is he coming over tonight on his ten-speed to pick you up for a date, too? You'll have to do better than that, _Sunshine_!"

Justin ran his right hand through his hair in frustration. "Brian, will you listen to me?" he beseeched, the words rushing out now in a torrent for fear Brian wouldn't stick around long enough for him to adequately explain. "Last night at rehearsal Gus asked me to meet him at the diner this morning and to bring my sketchbook; he told me that it had something to do with you, but he only told me that because Rob was there and he didn't want him to know the real reason why. You can verify with Debbie that we did meet there this morning, by the way," he said a little stiffly.

"Fine," Brian spat out. "So you and Sonny Boy met for breakfast; big deal. That doesn't prove shit."

"Let me finish," Justin said with surprising steeliness as he placed his hands on his hips and stared intently at Brian without flinching. Brian arched one eyebrow in surprise at his brazen tone of voice. For someone who was caught dead to rights, he had to admit his husband was standing his ground. "The reason why Gus wanted to meet with me and why he couldn't tell me the real reason last night was because Rob was there and he didn't want him to know. He has a crush on him and wanted my help to show him how he felt about him."

"Really." Brian uttered under his breath as he stared back at Justin unblinking. "Well, then, pray tell, Elvis, how did you _help_ him?"

Justin ignored the sarcastic pronunciation of the word 'help' as he answered defensively, "He wanted me to sketch a drawing for him that had to do with one of our songs we were performing together. He asked me to draw a heart behind prison bars with a caption at the top that said _You've Stolen My Heart. _He told me he was going to slip it into Rob's mailbox on the way home._" _

Brian looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "No son of mine would ask you to do that, Justin!"

Justin's voice rose as he retorted, "Well, excuse me, _Mr. Kinney_, but that's EXACTLY what he asked me to do! In case you haven't noticed, your queer son isn't the devil-may-care, fuck 'em and leave 'em type like YOU were at that age! In fact, oddly enough he's more like me. He actually wants to get to _know_ someone instead of fucking them once and dumping them! I happen to think he really likes this guy!"

Brian huffed out an angry breath, irritated that Justin apparently knew his own son better than he did. A glimmer of hope, however, began to slowly bubble to the surface that maybe, just maybe, Justin was telling him the truth here. The whole situation sounded too preposterous to be made up. He still refused, however, to let go of all his jealousy as he responded, "So explain why YOU wound up with roses instead of my son!"

Justin sighed. "The only thing I can figure is that Gus didn't sign it or put any kind of note with it and Rob just assumed it was from me."

"Why would he assume that? Just because you can _draw_?"

Justin ignored the way Brian made his profession sound like he was a three-year-old finger painter as he explained, "I had a suspicion last night by the way that Rob was looking at me that he might have a crush on me, but I was hoping I was wrong. Apparently I wasn't," he told him ruefully as he glanced over at the expensive flowers. "Shit; this is what I was afraid of."

Brian unfolded his arms and walked closer to Justin as he said, "Okay, let me get this straight. Sonny Boy has a crush on the new guitar player who has the hots for you, no doubt after seeing you strutting your stuff last night in your sparkly little spandex jumpsuit. My love-struck son decides to send him a sappy drawing professing his undying love for him that dear little Robbie thinks was sent from you instead, so he sends you flowers that probably cost a fucking mint professing his undying love in return?"

Justin winced, realizing how ludicrous it all sounded. "Well, yeah, I guess that about covers it…Except I think it might have been the black Jailhouse Rock outfit that sealed the deal instead."

Brian stared at him silently for several seconds until a laugh began to rumble up from his gut, quickly turning into an all-out, major chortle. "Oh, this is priceless! This is so fucking unbelievable! You...and _Rob_?"

Justin glared at him as he smacked him on the arm. "Brian, this isn't a joke! Why is it so unbelievable? How old am I?"

"Literally or mentally?" He quipped, still chuckling over Justin's dilemma. Only HE would get mired in the middle of this sort of mess. At least he now knew he had nothing to worry about.

"Just answer the fucking question!" Justin growled.

"Okay, I'll bite," he said with a gleam in his eye. "Uh…Thirty-three?"

Justin nodded. "I'm impressed you got that right," he told him sarcastically. "And how old would you say Rob is?"

"Oh, I don't know," Brian replied, looking skyward like he was trying to calculate the square root of Pi. "Sixteen, seventeen? Depends on how many times he's flunked out of school. Your point being?"

Justin rolled his eyes. "My point is, _Mr. Kinney,_ he's about the same age that _I _was when I fell in love with a much-older, cocky son of a bitch who was about the same age that I am now. You still think it sounds ridiculous?"

"First of all, I was twenty-nine," Brian reminded him indignantly. "Secondly, I couldn't help it that this persistent twink kept following me around and wouldn't leave me alone. Hell, you could wear _anyone_ down; fortunately, you turned out to be a quick study in the fine art of fucking," he added, winking. He sighed when Justin didn't crack so much as a smile before he finally reached over and gently curled his hands around Justin's shoulders. His voice softened as he said, "Just tell your love-struck puppy dog to fuck off, Justin. _You're_ the adult here."

"It's not that easy, Brian," his husband persisted, vastly relieved that at least he finally believed him. The words tumbled out in a worried torrent as he added, "Your son is a lot like me; he's going to be heartbroken if he finds out Rob doesn't reciprocate his feelings for him, and he's going to be upset when he realizes that Rob has a crush on _me_ instead. That could really create some problems between the two of us, and I just can't let that happen. Not to mention that this is liable to totally destroy our chances of competing at the state competition and I know Gus was counting on that to generate some additional business for his band." He sucked in a ragged breath. "Fuck! What am I going to _do_?"

Brian leaned in to nudge his nose with Justin's as he whispered, "WE are going to put Operation Gus into action together."

Justin leaned back far enough to gaze into the determined hazel eyes as he asked, "What does THAT mean…?"

Brian gave him a short kiss on the lips before he replied, "First, you are NOT taking that wedding ring off again – ever. And second, I think it's time for Rob to meet the _rest_ of the family."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks for Boriqua522 for checking this over for me! _


	4. Don't Be Cruel

_Gus wonders why Rob does not react to his drawing; Justin and Brian work on a plan to help remedy a rather sticky situation._

* * *

><p><em>Later that Evening <em>

Gus's heart was pounding as he climbed into his car and started up the engine; he hadn't heard a word from Rob since placing his package in his mailbox earlier in the day, and he was beginning to get a little worried. Was he angry at him for declaring his affection for him? Did he think the drawing was too cheesy? Worse yet, was it possible that maybe he didn't feel the same way? He _thought_ they got along well and had a lot in common, and the other night he and Rob had had a heartfelt discussion about their sexual experiences in the car – or lack thereof in Rob's case; that was about as personal as you could get. They had an easy rapport between them, and he thought they enjoyed each other's company. He had been hoping that Rob would text him at the very least to let him know that he had received his drawing and to thank him, but there had been no response at all since then.

Biting his lower lip in nervousness, he backed out of the driveway and drove the couple of houses down to Rob's house, pulling over to the curb by the driveway and looking intently over at the front door illuminated by the glow of a table lamp from the living room inside. He left the car idling and drummed his fingers on the dashboard as he waited anxiously for his friend to appear, wondering what his reaction would be to seeing him again. His heart rose into his throat as he watched his friend open the front door a few seconds later and with an "I'm Leaving, Mom!" bang the door behind him to walk hurriedly toward the car. In the darkness, he couldn't make out the other boy's face to read his expression, and the suspense was killing him.

Rob walked closer to him and opened the front passenger door before climbing into the seat, noticing Gus staring at him strangely. "Hey," he said with a congenial smile as he looked over at his friend, acting as if nothing was any different from the last time they had seen each other. He was dying to tell Gus about Justin and the drawing, but for the moment he wanted to keep it just a secret between the two of them, at least until he had a chance to talk to Justin personally, so for the time being he decided to just play it cool.

"Hey," Gus said almost shyly as he peered over at him; he had to avert his gaze after a moment as he looked down at the seat, too anxious to look him in the eyes for long.

Rob frowned, wondering why his friend was acting so oddly. "Is something wrong?"

Gus licked his lips to moisten them, torn between desperately wanting to ask him whether he had received his package and unsure whether to bring it up at all. Rob was acting just like he always did, even though Gus had just clearly declared his affection for him. Why was he not saying anything about it? A sudden thought occurred to him – was it possible that Rob hadn't gone out to get the mail after all and simply hadn't seen it yet? Is that why he wasn't saying anything about the package? What should he _do_, then? He was terrible at expressing his feelings to someone verbally, and he had thought this would be a creative but effective way to tell Rob how much he cared for him without having to expose his heart to possible rejection. He cleared his throat, noticing Rob eyeing him with both concern and curiosity. _Yes, that must be it_, he decided. He must have picked today of all days not to go get the mail, and he just hadn't seen it yet. He was disappointed, but in another way he was relieved; at least that meant that Rob wasn't rejecting him outright.

"No, I'm fine," he finally managed to say as he put the car into gear and slowly pulled out into traffic, glancing over at the mailbox with a sort of crazy wish that he could somehow develop x-ray vision to determine whether or not there was still mail in there. He only hoped that Rob's parents wouldn't retrieve the mail before Rob did and decide to open up his package that was addressed to him. Surely if it was addressed to their son they wouldn't do that, he reasoned; at least he hoped so. If they did, he would be completely mortified.

"Are you sure?" Rob pressed, wondering why Gus seemed to be acting so strangely all of a sudden. He supposed it could be due to worry about maybe not being fully prepared for the talent contest this coming weekend after having to find a replacement for Kevin. But Gus had nothing to worry about. Ever since getting Justin's drawing earlier today, he had spent the rest of the afternoon practicing with an old, backup guitar he kept in his closet, making sure he had each song down perfectly so he wouldn't disappoint him. He wanted to impress Justin with his talent and his dedication to his craft now that he knew that the other man reciprocated his feelings for him.

He took a moment to concentrate on his friend as Gus finally nodded, replying, "Yeah, I'm sure." There was a brief pause before he asked softly, "Uh…Rob?" _Shit, he had to know_...

Rob lifted his eyebrows in question as they continued to drive toward Dave's house nearby to pick him up next. "Yeah?"

Gus swallowed hard, feeling like cotton was stuffed in his mouth. All he had to do was stare over into his friend's eyes and he felt completely tongue-tied. He shook his head, unable to ask the burning question he desperately wanted an answer to. "Nothing," he mumbled self-consciously as he turned his head toward the side window and pretended to find the scenery fascinating. He sighed softly in defeat as he reached over several seconds later and turned on the radio, trying to drown out the doubts in his head. _Idiot!_ He silently berated himself. _Why don't you just fucking ASK him if he got it or not?_ But his tender heart wouldn't permit it; he was just going to have to wait until Rob acknowledged receiving it to find out what his reaction was. He resolved, though, to bring it up if he hadn't said anything by tomorrow, because he knew he would have had to have seen it by then. He just hoped he could WAIT that long; the thought of staring over at his friend all evening long at rehearsal without knowing how he felt about him was going to be torturous.

Rob remained perplexed by his friend's weird behavior; normally they didn't have a problem talking about virtually anything; he felt quite at ease with Gus. After all, they had been discussing sex yesterday, something he had never really discussed with anyone else before. It had been great to be able to talk frankly about it with someone who knew what he was going through, and it had been quite uplifting. All of a sudden, though, Gus appeared almost awkward around him now. Trying to think of a way to ease the unexpected tension, he smiled as a song came on the radio that he immediately recognized.

"This is one of my favorite songs," he told Gus as he began to tap his knees with his fingers in time to the hypnotic beat of the guitar.

Gus smiled in delight for the first time that evening as he stared over at Rob in amazement, his feelings for the other boy continuing to deepen. "You like Jimi Hendrix, too?"

Rob nodded as "_Purple Haze_" continued to play, nodding his head in time with the beat as he continued to tap his knees with his fingers; he reached over to crank it up a little more as he said, "Are you fucking _kidding_ me? He was the bomb when it came to guitar solos!"

Gus nodded in agreement, his voice rising animatedly. "He's _awesome_! My dad used to play his songs on his guitar all the time! But I know another one that's _even _better! What about Iron Butterfly?"

Rob beamed, amazed that someone else his age knew about songs from forty years ago. "_In a Gadda Da Vida ROCKS_!" he shouted, raising his fisted hand in the air for emphasis.

"Fuck! That is AMAZING!" Gus exclaimed, still in awe that someone else his own age was into the same kind of music. "And the drum solo is awesome! We should rehearse THAT one sometime! That would be so _sweet_!"

Rob nodded, their previous awkwardness vanishing as they continued to discuss the best guitar players from the past several decades, all the way from Chuck Berry to Kirk Cobain to Pete Townsend. Before they knew it, they had reached Dave's house, where he was sitting on the steps of his sidewalk, waiting for them to pick him up.

He opened the back door and greeted them. "Hey…What's up?" he said casually as he took a seat behind them.

"Hey," Gus called to him. "You're just in time." he said as he looked smugly over at Rob, who harrumphed good-naturedly.

"Just in time for _what_?" Dave asked curiously, noticing the two exchanging a competitive sort of look.

"You can be the official tie-breaker," Gus said with a grin as he looked over at Rob, who nodded in agreement. "The winner has to treat the other one to pizza and a movie. Who's the best guitar player that ever lived – Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimmy Page?"

* * *

><p><em>Same Time – Brian's Loft <em>

Brian stood by the door to his loft, one hand on his hip as he held up his car key fob in the other. "Uh…I hate to rush you, _Oh King_, but if you don't get that hot little ass in motion right now, we're going to be late!" He couldn't help thinking what a departure this was; as much as he hated to admit it, normally it was his husband who had to wait for HIM. After all, he didn't instantly look perfect when he first got out of bed – it took even _him_ a while to achieve that distinction. No, this time he wasn't impatient because Justin would be late for rehearsal; he was concerned because they had to straighten out a certain, lovesick lothario at Justin's art studio and rescue his infatuated son before things got out of hand. He sighed in consternation, just about to give up and go search for Elvis when he heard a sound like Jacob Marley rattling his chains nearby and he smirked in recognition.

"Shit!" came a disgusted cry from the bedroom as a different sort of white blur came rushing down the steps and out into the main living area; Justin's feet slid out from under him as he hurried up to Brian and began to fall, just as he was saved by a couple of strong, muscular arms that reached out to rescue him.

"Whoa, Elvis, we're not THAT late!" Brian murmured in amusement as Justin's heavy gold chains swung violently back and forth around his neck like a pendulum; he jostled him to an upright position and grasped him around the upper arms to steady him. At approximately the same time that Brian had made him put ON his wedding ring earlier, he had insisted that he take OFF his 24-carat gold jewelry for fear he would either get paint all over them or manage somehow to lose them. Besides, he had told his husband, Elvis didn't DO 'tasteful' when it came to jewelry – he only knew 'clunky.'

Brian gave him a thorough examination for any physical injuries before he observed tongue-in-cheek, "Either those fake chains weigh a fucking ton, Sunshine, or you've been eating too many fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches lately. Aren't you taking this impersonation just a little too far?"

Justin smacked him on the chest, his eyes flashing in protest. "I am NOT, you asshole! For your information, _Mr. Kinney_, I don't even LIKE peanut butter and banana sandwiches!"

Brian snorted. "Since _when_? You always order peanut butter and banana waffles with syrup at the diner – even though it makes me want to puke." In actuality, he knew Justin looked precisely the same as he did when they had first met, at least weight-wise; the little shit never seemed to put on a fucking ounce even though he could eat like a proverbial horse.

"That's different," Justin maintained as he brushed back some recalcitrant hair. He had brought the white spandex outfit back with him from the last rehearsal, knowing they were going to do the "_A Little __Less Conversation, A Little __More Action_" number first and figuring he might as well save time this evening, although he wasn't quite sure how tonight's rehearsal was going to pan out. He was extremely concerned about how tonight would work out and knew he would have to confront Rob about their unexpected 'love triangle' head-on; he winced at his use of that term as he silently prayed that their plan would work or they could have a family disaster on their hands.

"Justin…"

"What?" he responded a little startled as he came out of his daydreaming and looked up into Brian's probing eyes.

"I can almost hear the hamster wheel turning in that little blond, side-burned head of yours," he said, reaching up with one hand to finger the matching blond hair pieces that Justin had insisted on adding to his appearance to make it seem more 'authentic.' Even though they were ridiculous-looking on someone as young as Justin, he still thought they were adorable in a dorky sort of way; of course, he might be just a little prejudiced when it came to him, also. "He's my _son," _he responded, a touch of pride in his voice. "He'll be fine no matter _what _happens."

Justin sighed. "I know he has those wonderful Kinney genes flowing through him," he responded as he reached up to lightly stroke Brian's cheek. "But I just don't like to see him get hurt, Brian. He's very tenderhearted."

Brian smiled knowingly as he caught Justin's hand and gave it a brief kiss on the top before letting it go. "Just like someone _else_ I know? Well, that doesn't mean that he's not resilient, though, just like YOU are. Let's just see what happens, okay? I think this will work." He looked at Justin lopsidedly as he added, "You can be very persuasive, you know."

Justin smiled at that remark for a moment, but sobered as he pressed, "But what if Rob has already told him about sending me flowers? What if they've already talked about the drawing and Gus finds out that he thinks the drawing came from ME? He's going to be devastated, Brian."

Brian placed his hands to link them around the back of Justin's neck as he leaned in to nudge his nose with his. "We'll deal with it," he whispered as he pulled back to stare into his husband's eyes. "Believe me, I of all people know how emotional teenagers can get," he reminded his lover as Justin snorted, realizing he was really referring to HIM. "But it didn't stop YOU now, did it? Gus may be more sentimental than me, but he's not a pussy, either. He'll be fine." He leaned down to kiss the soft lips before he chided him gently, "Now can we _go_? If it makes you feel any better, you can call Gus and tell him we're running a little late. Maybe you can figure out the mood he's in while you're at it, too."

Justin nodded, deciding that might not be a bad idea; at least he could maybe find out what had happened with his stepson and Rob so far. He glanced down toward the floor, noticing for the first time with a start what Brian was wearing. "Brian," he scolded him quietly.

"What?" the brunet replied, frowning as he followed Justin's gaze but seeing nothing out of the ordinary; at least not if you discounted Justin's ridiculous-looking spandex outfit and the white boots that he had somehow managed to obtain. When did he get _those_? he wondered idly as he lifted his eyes to look into his husband's.

"Why the _fuck_ are you wearing that pair of jeans?" Justin pressed sternly.

Brian was wearing a black pair of jeans that would have fit him comfortably several years ago, at least before Justin had entered the picture. While he was still as gorgeous as ever, however, Justin's horrendous eating habits had managed to rub off him just enough that he had gained – _the horror_! – ten pounds or so since they had first met. It was just enough for one of Brian's favorite pairs of jeans to look like they had been spray painted on him. They left _nothing_ to the imagination, to the point where Justin had forbid him to wear them when they went out together; he got tired of having to fend off potential suitors right and left while they had a drink or two at Woody's as they were shooting pool or danced to one of their favorite songs at Babylon. His brow furrowed in irritation as he noticed that Brian had paired it with a long-sleeved, V-neck, charcoal-gray sweater that fit him like a glove, highlighting his caramel-colored skin, chiseled chest and flat stomach. It was Justin's favorite sweater on him, and the fucker knew it, too.

"Oh..._These_?" Brian said innocently with a smirk as he turned around to study his ass. "All my other jeans were in the laundry."

"Oh, puh-lease," Justin retorted, not buying it for a second. "Bullshit; you're acting like you're strutting out on the Serengeti."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Brian frowned as he opened the door to leave, but Justin just stood there. "What part of _we need to leave_ did you not understand, Justin? What?" he repeated in irritation when Justin didn't move.

"Come on, Brian!" Justin retorted, his hands on his hips. "You're wearing those just so you can stake your claim as the alpha male on the Plain."

Brian sighed heavily. "Justin…you really ARE a dweeb sometimes. Remind me to block the National Geographic Channel from our cable tomorrow. Let's go, _Little_ _Gazelle_."

Justin harrumphed as Brian grabbed him by the bicep and tugged him out into the hallway; he had just enough time to slide the door shut before his husband wrapped his arm around his spandex-clad waist and walked them over to the elevator.

* * *

><p><em>Justin's Art Studio<em>

Rob nervously fumbled with his guitar amp upstairs as Gus practiced with Dave on the keyboard sequence for "_Jailhouse Rock_." Justin had called just as they had arrived here, advising Gus that he was running late and instructing him to go ahead and use the 'emergency key.' He had been a little surprised to find out that Gus had access to such a thing, but his friend had walked promptly around the back and retrieved it from its hiding place under a rock by the rear door as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. He figured Justin and Gus must be pretty tight, then, for him to trust him with that knowledge, wondering how they had reached that point and wistfully hoping that one day he, too, would be provided the same level of confidence.

Justin had informed Gus that he was about ten minutes away; it was almost past that time now, so Rob figured his arrival was imminent. The closer the time approached, the sweatier his palms became at the thought of seeing Justin again. He finished hooking up his amp and raised the guitar strap to drape the instrument across his body, testing the strings a little to make sure the volume was satisfactory as he plucked a couple of chords. Nodding in satisfaction, he pulled the instrument up and off, placing it down on its side by the back wall just as he heard the sound of the front door being opened and a male voice talking downstairs.

_No_, he thought with puzzlement, it was _two_ male voices speaking to each OTHER. He frowned in confusion; Justin didn't say anything earlier about bringing someone _else_ with him. Surely it wasn't possible that Kevin had recovered sufficiently enough to resume his place in the band? The thought of that filled him with profound disappointment; he didn't want to give up his spot now.

"Gus?"

"Dad!" he heard his friend say in astonishment in response to the unfamiliar, deeper voice. "We're up here!"

Rob's ears perked up in curiosity; he had heard Gus mention his father in passing from time to time, but had only met his two moms so far. Did he come with _Justin? _Why would they have come together? He licked his lips nervously as he heard a pair of footsteps coming up the stairs; soon he would be facing the gorgeous man he had been dreaming of for the past several hours. More importantly, he was about to find out whether or not Justin felt the same way that HE did.

He stopped breathing as he watched Justin arrive on the second floor; he was wearing the same white jumpsuit he had been wearing the other day - that day when he first laid eyes on him and had fallen in love with him. He noticed that he was followed closely by a taller, dark-haired man that had to be Gus's father. The resemblance was remarkable – both lean and tall with the same thick brown hair and hazel-colored eyes; same angular nose and strong chin. He knew before the man spoke again who he was.

"Hey, Sonny Boy!" the man exclaimed enthusiastically as he beamed over at Gus. "Surprise!"

Justin tried hard to keep any emotion off his face, but he couldn't help thinking as he glanced over at Rob, _If you only knew…_

"Dad," Gus protested in embarrassment. "Do you have to _call_ me that?" He cringed at the realization that Rob had just found out what his cutesy nickname was. His father had said nothing about coming over to listen to them play; normally he would have been thrilled to find him here unexpectedly, but at the moment he was too anxious about what was going on between him and Rob to be too excited about it.

Brian curled his lips under, enjoying his son's discomfiture. "It's your name," he sensibly pointed out, tongue-in-cheek. He turned his gaze toward the boy in the room he didn't recognize, having met Dave earlier when they had first begun rehearsing for the local contest. _So THIS is my competition?_ He thought with a smirk. _I'm quaking in my boots_. He quickly wiped the amused look off his face, however, as he looked over at Justin's reproachful stare and realized that while he might not have to worry about any serious threat to his and Justin's relationship, for some reason this boy was special to his son, so he was going to have to tread lightly here. At least Justin had been able to glean enough cryptic information out of Gus earlier on the phone to determine that for whatever reason, the other boy hadn't mentioned the drawing yet, so they still had time to hopefully rectify the situation.

He furrowed his brow and shot a glare over at Rob as he noticed the openly-appreciative look on the boy's face directed toward Justin; his son, fortunately, was oblivious to what was going on at the moment as he looked at him, but Brian had seen that look enough in the past on his _own_ husband's face to know what the boy was feeling. _Sorry, kid – this one's already taken._

He resisted the urge to walk over and plant a juicy kiss on his husband's lips for emphasis as Justin shot him another warning look, knowing he had agreed to bide by Justin's wishes to let him initially handle this rather unfortunate situation. He watched as Justin walked over to Gus and gave him a warm smile. "Hey, Gus," he said affectionately. "Everything okay?"

"Uh…Yeah, sure," Gus said, just a little down in the dumps that he and Rob hadn't had a chance yet to explore how they felt about each other. "We were just waiting for you to get here so we could start the rehearsal. I'm a little surprised to see Dad here, though," he said, looking over at his father nearby. After his unexpected appearance at the convention center that one time, he had pretty much told him this was his and Justin's baby; after all, he had flatly turned them down when Justin had asked him to fill in for Kevin. If JUSTIN couldn't persuade him, he knew for sure that he really _didn't_ want to participate. So why exactly was he here, then?

"Yeah," Justin said as he noticed Rob continuing to ogle him intently; now that he knew for sure that the boy had a crush on him, he felt decidedly embarrassed about it. He turned his attention back to his stepson as he replied, "Well, I was able to talk him into coming over to watch us practice." He exchanged a silent message with Brian as he continued, keeping his voice nonchalant, "Gus, Let's put rehearsal on hold for just a little while, okay? I need to talk to Rob first for a minute before we get started."

Rob's heart began to beat rapidly at that statement; Justin wanted to talk to him _alone_! God, that was more than he had hoped for tonight! He must want to thank him for the flowers! Now finally he would have the chance to pour his heart out to him...

Gus bit his lower lip, worried about what Justin wanted to talk to Rob about; surely he wasn't going to tell him about the drawing before he had a chance to see it? He would _die_ if he did! He wanted Rob to see it alone, to decide how he felt about him without any added pressure from his stepfather of all people. He trusted Justin – and he knew he always had his best interests at heart – but if he revealed to Rob that he had a crush on him and Rob didn't feel the same way, how could he be in the same room with him, let alone practice with him afterward? "Justin…" he began anxiously, staring over at his stepfather as he silently pleaded with him to understand what he needed.

Justin glanced over at Brian for some help; they had discussed what to do on the way over and had decided that Brian's initial caveman, _in your face_ approach wasn't going to be the best tactic. He gave his husband that look that always said d_o something_ before Brian cleared his throat.

"Uh, Gus…I'll fill in for Rob while Justin's talking to him if you want to get started on rehearsal; how would you like that?" He knew how much his son loved it when they played together and he could see the torn look on his son's face. _Please - play along with me, Sonny Boy_. Finally, he watched in relief as Gus made a decision and nodded, stealing one more glance over at Justin for reassurance as Rob eagerly followed him over to the stairs.

Rob thought he was going to burst with excitement as he followed behind Justin, unable to stop from admiring the view as the older man descended down the stairs to the lower level of his studio. The man was just so beautiful and his ass; _God, it should be a crime to look like that_! He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat as they came out onto the landing near Justin's kitchen, the sounds of Gus, Dave, and Brian's tentative rehearsal drifting downward.

Justin couldn't help smiling to himself as he overheard the guitar player upstairs – for someone who hadn't wanted to help them out in the lurch, Brian seemed to have figured out how to play the proper notes to "_Jailhouse Rock_" quite well. His smile faded, however, as he turned around to observe a love-struck Rob staring at him in fascination, a look of near adoration on his face. _Had he looked at Brian like that when he was HIS age? _he wondered. He probably did, he decided, trying to place himself in Rob's shoes as a way to help guide him on what to say now.

"You want something to drink?" he asked the boy, knowing he was stalling the inevitable. _Please let this work out for Gus's sake_, he thought silently. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the young man he had come to think of as his son.

Rob shook his head, his mouth slightly agape as he continued to stare over at Justin in awe. He wasn't even sure if his mouth was in operating order at the moment.

Justin nodded. "Okay…Well, let's go over to the living area and sit down, then. There's something important I need to talk to you about." He held his hand out to his side as Rob nodded silently and walked over toward the adjoining space to sit down on the edge of the couch like some eager but nervous puppy. Justin noticed he had perched himself at the end of the couch, probably hoping he would join him, but he ignored the tacit invitation as he plopped down instead on the used, leather-like, brown vinyl recliner located perpendicular to it.

"Rob," he began quietly, feeling a little weird having to bring the subject up but knowing he had to get the boy straightened out ASAP; he of all people knew how important it was to be upfront with someone about their feelings – and be realistic, too, when the situation called for it. "I wanted to talk to you about the drawing you received today – and about the flowers."

Rob's heart skipped a beat in jubilation. He _knew _it! Justin wanted to discuss their relationship! He smiled in happiness. "I was so surprised when it got it, but it was so cool!" Rob told him excitedly as he hastened to add a little bashfully, "I was _hoping _you felt the same way about me that I did about you."

Justin let out a tense breath; now he had an inkling how Brian had felt when he had had to tell him that he could 'see him in his dreams' after that first night they had spent together. Thank God Brian had been mistaken when he had said that and he eventually realized that he DID care for him. As he looked over at Rob sympathetically, he knew THAT was not going to happen in this case, however. The only romantic relationship he and Rob would ever have would be the one that the boy had made up in his wildest fantasies. It still didn't wipe away the extreme heartbreak and sorrow he had felt himself when Brian had said it, though, and it provided an inkling as to how this boy was going to feel. Now the roles had been reversed, and HE was going to have to be the one to hurt someone.

Justin rubbed his face with his left hand before he began gently, "Rob, there's something you need to know. _Several_ things, actually."

Justin was spared having to say anything else for now as he watched the boy's eyes widen in shock and his face fall as he spied the gleaming band of gold on Justin's hand; he silently cursed himself for the oversight. "You're…You're _married_?" he stuttered out incredulously.

Justin licked his lips to wet them before he nodded slowly, thinking perhaps this was for the best. "Yes, Rob," he replied gently as he stared into the anguished eyes. "To _Brian_...Gus's father."

Rob's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief; this whole situation was quickly spinning out of control. _No, this can't be true, this can't be happening... _"Father?" repeated dumbly before the realization hit him full force. "Then…You're Gus's…?" The idea was too incredible to even fathom, but Gus's easy rapport with Justin made it all suddenly fall into place.

"Stepfather," Justin responded as Rob's worst nightmare came true. He smiled a little wistfully as he explained. "Gus does call me Pops from time to time, but he knew me for so long before Brian and I got married that he usually calls me by my first name instead, especially around his friends. He thinks 'Pops' sounds a little too juvenile now."

Rob stared over at the object of his admiration in total confusion, trying to grasp at one last desperate straw before his hopes came irretrievably dashing to the ground. "But…the drawing…"

Justin nodded. "I _did_ draw it," he advised, "but I did it as a favor for someone else. For _Gus_. Remember when he asked me to meet him at the diner for breakfast and to bring my sketchbook? It was because he wanted my help with it."

Rob looked at him perplexed. It didn't make sense; it wasn't possible, was it? "_Gus_? But it was signed with a _J_. That's why I assumed it was from you; I _wanted _it to be from you. If it was from Gus, why would he sign it with the initial "J?"

Justin frowned; that was a good question. Why, indeed? He pondered that for a moment before his eyes lit up in epiphany and he groaned, realizing now why this entire mixup had occurred; all because of one simple letter. "I think he signed it that way because of your nickname for him. Does _Jammers _ring a bell?"

Rob sighed as he realized now what had happened and how he had jumped to a horrible conclusion. "Shit," he muttered in utter embarrassment. How could he have thought someone like this man would be interested in _him_, a kid? As the music filtered down from upstairs, he gazed down once more at Justin's hand now resting in his lap, hoping he had just been dreaming the ring up but finding it horribly real. "You weren't wearing your wedding ring yesterday," he said in what almost sounded like an accusatory manner.

Justin shook his head apologetically. "No…It was an oversight, though; I had taken it off for safekeeping when I was shopping for my Elvis outfits and placed it on a chain I had around my neck so I wouldn't lose it. I forgot to put it back on my hand until Brian noticed I wasn't wearing it yesterday. It was the first time I had done that...And believe me, it will be the LAST, too." Perhaps if he had been wearing it all along, none of this would have ever happened.

Rob nodded glumly, his dreams promptly and totally destroyed. He placed his head in his hands, his face red. "What an idiot I was," he murmured. "You would have never been interested in someone like ME."

"You're not an idiot, Rob," Justin told him softly as he leaned over and placed his left hand on his knee. "I fell in love with Brian when I was about your age, and he was about the same age that I am now. Believe me, it's quite possible to develop strong feelings for someone very quickly, no matter WHAT the obstacles. But Brian and I are very happy, Rob, and that will never change."

Rob uncovered his eyes to stare tentatively over at Justin, seeing concern for his feelings there but not pity which made it just a little easier to bear. He still felt the man was gorgeous – his golden hair shining like a halo under the recessed lights, big, expressive eyes the color of a bright blue sky on a spring day, full lips – _oh, what those lips could probably do_! – lush, silky eyelashes. And the warmth under Justin's touch felt so incredible. But as Justin gazed at him sympathetically - and without a hint of romantic interest in him, only friendship - he _also_ knew this man was never going to be his.

* * *

><p>Brian was a little curious about how things were going downstairs with Justin and Rob – not worried about Justin's feelings for the kid, but concerned that his son would somehow wind up getting hurt before it was all over. At the moment, though, he had to admit he was having a blast performing with his son. He, Gus and Dave had rehearsed each of the three songs scheduled to be done during the upcoming talent contest, even their schmaltzy ballad (Brian had to roll his eyes over that one), until Gus had brought up the same topic as before about which guitar player was the best one in history and a friendly argument had ensued. That had, in turn, led them to do an impromptu rendition of "<em>Purple Haze<em>," Gus pounding out the beat on the drums as Brian stood nearby like a clone of Kurt Cobain, Dave watching in amusement as father and son 'rocked it out' together.

Now, as they finished it up with a flourish, Gus couldn't help asking, "What do you think is going on downstairs? Maybe I'd better go check." It had been several minutes since the two had left to go downstairs, and he was so nervous that Justin was telling Rob about his crush on him; surely he wouldn't do that without talking to him first?

Brian shook his head; he had promised Justin that he would stall Gus if need be until he had a chance to talk things out with the other boy. "I'm sure they'll be back up soon," he soothed confidently. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. How about you and I play one more number? It's not everyday that you get to play with the _master_." He waggled his eyebrows playfully at his son.

Gus huffed as pointed out, "Justin asked if you wanted to fill in for Kevin and you turned us down, Dad." He held the drumsticks up and did a sort of "ta-dum" on the drum for emphasis as Brian grinned.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," he conceded. "But there's a big difference between channeling a little Jimi Hendrix with my son versus standing up in front of hundreds of people to do an Elvis tribute, especially when you're being asked to play such a _pulsating_ rock-and-roll number as _"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You_." He winced at the thought of playing such a lesbionic tune in public. "Really, Sonny Boy! Have I not taught you better than that? No self-respecting fag would play that at a talent contest!" he teased, curling his lips under.

"Pops thought it would show off our versatility," Gus insisted stiffly. "Our softer side."

Brian had to laugh at that statement; that was so _Justin_. "We're not talking about toilet paper here, Gus," he replied as Gus stuck his tongue out at him and Dave chuckled. "But if my husband wants to get up and play the role of crooner, who am _I_ to stop him? He never listened to me before anyway; this obviously isn't any different." He gazed at his son affectionately, relieved that Gus had remained behind his drums and seemed to have at least momentarily pushed his concern about Rob aside. "Now let's play something more respectable," he urged. "How about a little _Born to be Wild_?"

* * *

><p>Justin walked back into the living room and sat back down in the chair, handing Rob a Mountain Dew as the boy nodded morosely; since their talk, he had come to grudgingly accept that he would never be more than just a friend and a band member to Justin. He supposed deep down that he had always known that somehow; Justin had been very friendly with him but had never really given him a reason to think it was anything more. And to know that he was Gus's stepfather made it even clearer to him that his had been an impossible fantasy.<p>

He popped open the top and took a large gulp of his soft drink before stating with a resigned sigh, "You know, earlier in the car Gus kept looking over at me strangely, and I couldn't figure out why. Now I realize what the problem was. He must think I'm a real dickhead."

Justin smiled as he shook his head. "No, not at all. Trust me; he really _likes _you, Rob."

"But he must wonder why I didn't say a word about the drawing!" He shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe this! What a fucked-up mess! I can't even go back up there now – not with both Gus AND his dad up there! How embarrassing!"

Justin couldn't help seeing a lot of himself in Rob when he had been his age; the same insecurities, the same confusion, the same wants and desires, the same vulnerability. For just a brief moment, he was transported back into time as he whispered, "I know it might not seem that way now, but things WILL get better...you'll see."

"Yeah...Right," Rob muttered as he stared off into space, still mortified over what had happened. He turned to stare over at Justin as he heard him say, "Rob, I'm going to pay you back for the flowers; it was a great sentiment and I appreciate the gesture, but they had to have cost you a mint."

"You don't have to do that," Rob mumbled as he looked away in embarrassment. _Weren't things bad enough without Justin feeling like he had to take care of him?_

"I know I don't," Justin told him firmly. "But I want to. They really _were _beautiful, by the way, so I still get to appreciate them." He dug into his outfit's expansive pocket and located his wallet, pulling out four twenties. "Here, this should cover it," he said as he held the money out to him.

Rob looked at the cash, still feeling totally embarrassed over everything that had happened. "It's too much," he protested weakly, knowing he shouldn't accept it but also realizing it _was_ a lot of money to part with for someone his age.

"It's okay," Justin assured him as he thrust the bills into his free hand and closed his fingers over them. "Keep the extra; it's the least I can do after all the misunderstanding and confusion."

Rob nodded finally as he jammed them into his jeans pocket, trying hard to ignore the jolt that had passed through him at the feel of Justin's fingers on his. He sighed as he took one additional large sip from his soft drink before placing it down on the large, upturned wooden spool that Justin was using as a makeshift coffee table. "I guess we'd better get back upstairs, then. Everyone must be wondering what happened to us."

He began to rise from his position, only to have Justin push him back down with his arm. He looked over at the blond questioningly as he sat back down next to him and Justin told him, "There _is_ one more thing I need to ask of you."

"What?" He said wearily, wondering what _else _there could be possibly be.

_Here goes_, Justin thought. "Gus went to a lot of trouble to tell you how he feels about you, and it took a lot of courage to do what he did. I know you misunderstood at first who sent it to you, but now that you DO know I'd like you to think about giving Gus a chance." His heartfelt words poured out of him, almost for fear Rob would object before he added, "He's a great guy, Rob; he's funny, smart, and creative, and I think you might just have a lot in common if you get to know him better. You _already _like the same music. I realize you might not reciprocate his feelings just yet, but would you at least give him a _chance_? I'm sure that's all he's asking for right now. This whole unfortunate misunderstanding about the drawing can just stay between US; it would only serve to hurt him if he knew the truth." He inhaled a deep breath and let it out as Rob's eyes silently bored into his. "Will you think about it?" Justin asked him, holding his breath in hopeful anticipation.

Rob looked away from Justin to stare pensively out the window at the moonless night outside; his thoughts were in a whirl. He wasn't sure _how_ he felt about Gus; he had been much too busy daydreaming about the possibility of being with Justin that he hadn't even considered the notion. Justin was right - he and Gus _did_ get along well and he _did_ enjoy his company. He felt at ease with him, and Gus was one of the few guys he knew who understood what it was like to be a gay teenager at school. And he wasn't bad-looking, either; in fact, he was rather attractive with his tall, lean frame, mass of thick, brown hair and large, expressive, greenish-gold eyes; plus he had an engaging laugh and a great sense of humor to boot. Was it possible, then, that he could at least do as Justin asked and try to give Gus a chance? Would it be so bad if they DID hit it off?

"I'm not sure, Justin," he told the other man hesitantly. "I mean, I DO like him – as a friend. I think he's great. But as a _boyfriend_? I had never really thought much about it."

Justin nodded in understanding, but his hopes began to rise. "That's perfectly understandable," he agreed easily. "But I don't think Gus is expecting you to instantly fall in love with him; I just think he wants to get to know more, and if something should develop from there that would be even better."

Rob stared over at him, still unsure. "But what about the band? What if something happens and we wind up not even _speaking _to each other? That could be fucking awkward. It could be a big problem for the competition, and I wouldn't want to do that to Gus – or to you or Dave – no matter _what_ happens." He knew he had only been performing as a member for a very short time, but he already felt a certain loyalty to them; after all, they had had enough faith in his abilities to fill in for Kevin, and it had meant more to him than they probably realized.

"I think you're both mature enough to be able to handle it," Justin told him confidently, impressed that Rob would be concerned about that issue; it only served to reinforce to him, though, that Rob just might be willing to give this thing between him and Gus a shot. He added one last assurance for good measure as he said, "But if something unfortunate _did_ happen, I know a certain, somewhat over-the-hill guitar player that could fill in for the band in a pinch if need be; just don't let HIM hear me say that I called him that." He winked, knowing just what sort of _persuasion_ he could use on Brian if he had to, but hoping that it wouldn't be necessary. "So what do you say, then, Rob? Are you willing to look at Gus with an open mind?"

Rob bit his lower lip thoughtfully for several seconds, hearing the music suddenly ending upstairs. He peered over at Justin for a bit longer, thinking of the good times he had had with his friend; didn't he always hear that you have to be friends with someone before you could be lovers? Perhaps, just perhaps, that might be the case here. He finally nodded, his mind made up. "Okay. Why the fuck _not_? I don't want to hurt Gus, either, and you just might be right."

Justin beamed as his smile lit up his face. "Great! I was hoping you might say that!" He stood up as Rob joined him. "Now how about we join the other guys upstairs?" he said as he reached behind his back to stratch. "This suit it fucking itching me to _death_!"

Rob laughed, the tension broken as he followed Justin back up the steps, feeling much more comfortable than he did before.

* * *

><p>Brian watched his son intently as they heard footsteps coming up the stairs; he readily recognized the look of anxiety on his son's face as he took a moment to make an urgent, silent wish that Justin had succeeded in his plan to convince Rob to give Gus a chance – and more importantly, not to divulge who he had really had a crush on.<p>

His eyes bored into Justin's as soon as the two appeared in the doorway; the slight, imperceptible nod of his husband's head, along with his smile, told him all he needed to know as he sighed in relief. "Well, I was beginning to worry that Elvis had left the building and headed down to the local Burger King," he quipped, trying to sound unconcerned as Justin grinned back at him.

"No, but it might be fun afterward," Justin remarked as he walked over to Brian. He leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I don't know about the King, but I might just be in the mood for a _Whopper _myself later." He nipped at Brian's ear as the two men wrapped their arms around each other and begin to kiss passionately, Justin no longer afraid to show Rob just where his affections – and his love – lay.

Rob's eyes threatened to bulge out of his head as he watched the two men kiss – it was probably the hottest and most erotic thing he had ever witnessed and made his cock involuntarily stiffen in response. There could be no doubt now about how the two men felt about each other, and how futile it would have been for him to even try and wrestle Justin away from Gus's dad.

As they broke apart, Brian whispered in his ear, "How did it go?"

Justin pulled back to stare into his husband's eyes as he responded simply, "Fine," noticing Brian's face relaxing in response as he nodded. He knew that wasn't much of an answer, but he also knew Brian would understand perfectly what he meant.

Squaring his shoulders, Rob walked over to Gus as the two men surreptitiously eyed him out of the corner of their eyes as they twisted around to look over in the boys' direction. "Hey," Rob said softly to his friend as he walked over and stood next to him.

"Hey," Gus responded a little self-consciously. "Everything okay? Anything wrong?" he asked tentatively, scared to death that Justin had told him about the drawing and about how he felt about him.

Rob looked at him intently; he really _did_ have the most incredible eyes. He smiled softly and shook his head. "No…Everything's fine." He cleared his throat as he looked over at Dave to ask a little louder, "By the way, Dave, I never heard the answer to our question earlier."

"Huh?" Dave replied in confusion from his place behind the keyboard. He was beginning to feel like he was the only person left out of some great conspiracy between all the others. "What question?"

Rob grinned at Gus before responding, "The one about who the greatest guitar of all time was." Rob glanced over at Justin to explain, "The loser has to treat the winner to pizza and a movie." Turning back to Dave, he asked, "So what did you decide?"

Both Gus and Rob held their breaths, waiting for Dave's answer. Finally, Dave shrugged, still not sure what all the fuss was about; he was into keyboards, not guitars; what was the big deal? "Well, if you're asking ME and I have to choose, I guess I'd have to go with Stevie Ray Vaughn."

"Bullshit," Brian piped up from his place across the room. "No one compares to B. B. King."

"Brian," Justin warned him under his breath, hoping that this was Rob's way of breaking the ice.

"What?" he cracked. "He was the Blues King, just like you're the Hip Swivel King." Justin gave a brief shake of his head in warning as Brian thankfully chose to remain silent then, realizing somehow that there was more going on here than just a simple trivia question.

"Shit!" Rob said in mock disgust, secretly hoping that Dave would answer just that way. "You probably bribed Crandall somehow when I was downstairs." He sighed melodramatically before stating, "Well, I don't welsh on my bets, though. So which movie do you want to see, Gus? And is it going to be pan or traditional?"

Gus smiled in delight, thrilled by this turn of events. "Well, I've been wanting to see the latest _Mission Impossible _movie; how about that one? And I like the meat lover's pan pizza the best," he added as he averted his eyes shyly.

"Like father, like son," Brian commented dryly as he looked over from across the room. "I love meat, too," he whispered in Justin's ear huskily as his husband blushed, knowing _exactly_ what Brian was trying to say but hoping no one else overheard him. He smacked Brian on the arm, though, for good measure.

"Well, then, how about tomorrow night, then?" they heard Rob ask and Justin's heart leaped in triumph.

Gus's face flushed with pleasure; had he heard Rob correctly? Was he asking him out on an 'almost' date? "Tomorrow? Really?"

Rob nodded, liking the way that Gus's face lit up with happiness; he found that he LIKED having that effect on him. "Yeah."

Gus turned to look at Justin. "I don't know," he said with profound regret. "We're normally rehearsing at night." His eyes pleaded with his stepfather to understand his dilemma and to give him a break. Can we, Justin? A man still has to eat; he can't live on music alone."

Justin laughed as Brian nodded his head solemnly and added under his breath, "Yeah, Justin, protein is very important to a _growing boy_."

He blushed in reaction, thinking about the first 'high-protein' snack that he had imbibed in himself, before he looked back at the two boys, delighted that Rob was apparently taking his advice. For a good cause, he would be more than willing to suspend their normal rehearsal schedule. "I think we've practiced enough to skip one night. Besides, I think it's important to honor your bets...AND get the proper nourishment."

Gus nodded gratefully at Justin as he turned to face the other boy; his heart was racing at the thought of spending some quality time alone with Rob at last. "I'd like that," he responded softly.

Rob frowned, making Gus become afraid that there was still a problem as his face fell. "There _is_ one thing, though," he advised him solemnly.

"What?" Gus asked anxiously.

Rob grinned as Gus's tension relaxed just a bit. "If you want to collect on your bet, you'll have to pick me up first."

Gus smiled back at him, enormously relieved it was something that simple. "You've got a deal."

* * *

><p><em>AN: TBC - One more chapter/epilogue? *Thanks as always to Boriqua522 for looking this over for me!* _


	5. It's Now or Never

_A/N: Gus seeks out Justin for advice before his first date with Rob; Brian of course has to interject his OWN brand of advice. _

* * *

><p><em>Later That Evening - Loft<em>

Brian stretched out on the king-sized bed and placed his hands behind his head as his eyes raked appreciatively over his own little Elvis peeling off his skintight, white, spandex jumpsuit. He didn't know if Justin was doing it deliberately, but the slow way in which he was disrobing was making him horny as hell at the moment. Of course, he had an idea that it was more than coincidence that Justin had his back to him presently as he wiggled his hot little ass to shimmy out of the tight-fitting fabric; as his partner's briefs slid down the slender legs along with the jumpsuit, his cock was springing up in the opposite direction accordingly.

His lips curled up in amusement as he heard Justin humming to himself _"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" _He snorted. "Interesting pick of song title there," he commented. "If you don't finish getting undressed soon, you're going to be REAL lonesome tonight…If you catch my drift."

Justin finally succeeded in pulling off the rest of his suit along with his shoes and socks as he turned to face his husband. He actually had the gall to smirk at him as he replied, "I catch _your drift_ just fine, _Mr. Kinney_, but you're not fooling ME; you want my body just like all my other groupies."

"Shit," Brian muttered in mock disgust as Justin grinned over at him. "I'm hardly a _groupie," _he growled as Justin finally approached the bed. He climbed on top of the mattress and crawled over toward him before he flopped down on his side and braced himself up on one elbow to peer over at Brian, looking highly pleased with himself. Brian couldn't help rolling his eyes; it had been bad enough that Justin's head had swelled with all the attention he had been getting lately – the one on top of his shoulders anyway. Now that one of Gus's friends had developed a ridiculous crush on him, too, he was likely to be downright insufferable for a long time. "I think someone has a very high opinion of himself," he commented dryly.

Justin gazed into Brian's eyes as he reached out to lightly trail his hand down the middle of Brian's chest, enjoying the muscles rippling under his touch. "Well, you know how the saying goes; when you got, flaunt it. And I _got_ it." Brian snorted as he added, "Don't worry, though; everything worked out. Rob understands that I'm taken now, and Gus got a first date with him out of the deal. And you get to fuck the King." He sighed melodramatically. "Life is good," he pronounced. He grinned. "By the way, I don't give this privilege to just anyone, you know. I hope you realize what an honor this is."

Justin squealed in surprise as Brian reached over suddenly to yank on his arm to pull him down on top of him; he wound up flopping rather clumsily on Brian's torso and legs, his own limbs contorted in awkward angles frogman style as he peered down into the darkened, lust-filled eyes. He could feel Brian's cock jutting hard between their bodies along with his own as Brian growled, "You're _going_ to be 'taken' right now, little boy."

"Oh, is that so?" Justin answered saucily, his eyes twinkling in anticipation; he knew what that tone of voice – and that look – meant, and he could hardly wait. Marriage definitely had his benefits; among them was some pretty hot sex whenever Brian got jealous, no matter _how_ baseless it was.

Brian reached to grasp his fingers firmly in his, pausing momentarily to gaze at the gleaming band of gold now securely back on his husband's hand as he brought the pale digits up to his mouth and began to slowly suckle each of them one by one, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from his lover in reaction. "Yeah, that's so," Brian told him as he roughly pulled Justin's head down to clamp onto his mouth for a deep, toe-curling kiss. Justin practically melted into him as his hands came up to cup Brian's head and they angled their faces together for a deeper penetration, his tongue creeping into his husband's mouth to begin swirling a trail around the slippery surface.

Brian couldn't hold back the appreciative, earthy moan that escaped his lips as Justin purposely wriggled in his clutch, their now-leaking cocks rubbing against each other in delicious friction as he grasped Justin's ass and dug his fingers tightly into the soft flesh to pull them even closer together; he knew he was probably leaving red marks of possession on his partner's fair skin, but he couldn't help it. The heat of his passion for this little spitfire was building rapidly and he knew this was not going to be the time for extended foreplay.

"You want to be taken, Sunshine?" he asked as they finally came up for air. "Does _Elvis the Pelvis _want to get down and dirty with my cock?"

Justin giggled at the silly question, despite his heart threatening to burst out of his chest over the sensations Brian was generating; his hands seemed to be everywhere: his ass, his lower back, his waist, his thighs. Everywhere but his cock, which was in need of some much-needed attention at the moment. "Yes," he hissed out breathlessly as his hand reached over for Brian's to place it wantonly on his cock. He sighed in pleasure as Brian gave it a firm squeeze. "I just want to be your Teddy Bear…emphasis on the _bare."_

He squeaked as Brian deftly flipped them over so Justin was now lying on his back. Brian looked into his husband's eyes as Justin stared back at him playfully until a chuckle bubbled up from deep within his chest. The whole week had been so ludicrous, from Justin's white spandex suit to the misunderstanding over the drawing to the flower delivery to Rob's crush on him. Why should this be any different?

He shook his head in resignation as Justin smiled up at him innocently. "For once, will you fucking stop with the Elvis jokes for a change? I'd like to fuck my _husband_, not some bloated, sweaty, beer-swilling, pill-popping, fried peanut butter and banana sandwich has-been whose spirit still hangs out at Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts."

Justin raised his legs to clamp them around Brian's waist. "Well, all you had to do was say so; I guess _Love Me Tender_ is out tonight, then. Just _Don't Be Cruel_ to me."

Brian huffed out an exasperated sigh as he gave up. Reaching over to the nightstand to grab a tube of lube, he quickly slathered it on his cock and Justin's hole as he said, "Well, then, Elvis, have it your way…_It's Now or Never_." Pushing in deep the first time, he heard a gasp of part pain/part pleasure as Justin adjusted to the thick fullness of his cock and pulled him closer to his body, signifying he wanted more, needed more.

As they continued to make love, there was no doubt that this was Brian and Justin; Elvis had definitely left the building for the night, at least until the next rehearsal…

* * *

><p><em>The Next Morning…Liberty Diner – 8:10 a.m.<em>

Brian glanced up and smiled in recognition as the door to the diner burst open and a tall, younger version of himself rushed into the room to slide into the booth's seat across from him. "Sorry, Dad!" Gus stated breathlessly. "I overslept." He glanced around the diner. "Where's Pops?"

Brian nodded over at the counter. "He and Deb are waxing nostalgic over the good old days of busing tables and wiping up food stains," he remarked as Gus grinned, noticing Justin in an animated discussion with Debbie several feet away.

Brian watched his son wipe his hands on his pant legs as he returned his attention to their conversation and he pursed his lips together to keep from smiling; he knew what that particular gesture meant. "Nervous about tonight?" he asked casually as he idly played with his fork.

Gus sighed; he should have realized his father never missed anything. "Yeah…Stupid, isn't it? I mean, it's just pizza and a movie."

Brian huffed out an exasperated breath. "Have I taught you nothing, Sonny Boy? Every night out is an _opportunity_. How many condoms are you taking with you?"

"Dad!" Gus protested aghast, holding his hand up in an attempt to get his father to quiet down and not be overheard by every diner nearby. "This is our first date together! I'm not planning on that!" Not that Gus was adverse to the idea; on the contrary, ever since Rob had agreed to go out with him tonight, he could think of practically nothing else. After all, he was a red-blooded, American gay male; what else _would_ he be thinking about? It hadn't helped that Rob had confided in him that he was a virgin; that merely added to both the allure as well as the pressure to perform up to certain standards – that and the fact that he was Brian Kinney's son. Thank God Rob didn't come from the Pitts where his father's reputation was so well known; at least he wouldn't be stereotyping him then.

"Brian," he heard his stepfather say sternly as Justin joined them and slid into the space next to his father. He placed three glasses of orange juice down on the table. "Don't you think Gus is nervous enough?"

Brian shrugged. "I just think he should be prepared, that's all; he's my son, Justin. What can I say? It's inbred in him."

Justin rolled his eyes as he turned to look at Gus sympathetically. "Don't listen to your overzealous father, Gus," he said. "You need to take things at your own pace – and Rob's. When – and if – the time is right, you'll both know it."

"You mean like the time I took this 17-year-old stalker home with me and I pounded him into the mattress that night?"

Justin smacked his husband on the leg as Gus cringed at the thought; it wasn't that he didn't already know plenty about his father and stepfather's voracious sexual appetites, but he would prefer not to discuss it out in the open at the diner. "Brian, you're not helping here. There's a lot of difference between Gus and what your sexual experiences were like when you were his age. He doesn't fuck everything on two legs like YOU used to."

"First of all, may I remind you that you were not around when I was Gus's age? And second of all, I didn't fuck _everything_ on two legs, just everything on two legs that had a cock instead of a pussy."

"Well, thank you for clearing that up," Justin retorted. "Although I seem to recall pussy being involved at one time."

Brian snorted. "Yeah, so do I – with YOU. Does Daphne ring a bell?"

"That was different," Justin maintained. "I was doing her a favor."

"Ha! That's a new description for it."

"Uh, guys?" Gus moved to interject, suddenly feeling like he was watching a tennis match as a spectator. "This is supposed to be about _me_, remember? I'M the nervous one here. And now I'm even _more_ nervous." He sighed. "Why did I agree to meet up with you two in the first place?"

"Because you wanted our advice, remember?" Brian reminded him. He looked into his son's eyes as his own softened in sympathy. It hadn't been all THAT long ago that he couldn't still remember what his first few times had been like; he would never voice it aloud, but he had been scared as hell, too; that is, until he found out how good he was at it and how much in demand he would be. Then he was on top of his game, and the _other_ man was the nervous one. "Look, Gus, I know that somehow Mother Nature screwed up and made you more like your stepfather than me." Justin glared at him in mock insult as he admitted, "But Justin's right. There's no rule book on relationships. Fuck knows I know nothing about _dating_." He said the word distastefully as Justin looked at him meaningfully. For just a fleeting moment he regretted that, because for a time that particular 'deficiency' had almost cost him his relationship with Justin when his husband had gone in search of someone who DID do dates and all that it entailed; fortunately, though, Justin had discovered eventually that love meant more than just being showered with romantic nonsense such as flowers, music, and candy.

He felt Justin's hand grasp his under the table and he knew that once more Justin had ascertained exactly what he was thinking; not only were they at the point where they continued to fluidly complete each other's sentences, but now apparently his husband had become psychic as well for he seemed to know exactly what he was _thinking_, too. He took a breath and let it out before advising, "Take Justin's advice; he's much more attuned to this sort of thing than I am. Just take it at your own pace and you'll be fine. If that results in pounding into his hot little ass along the way, then, hey, that would be an added bonus."

"How romantic," Justin muttered as Brian turned to look at him impertinently. He curled his lips under in that way that told Justin he was being facetious and was rewarded with a look of mock indignation in return.

"You'll be fine, Gus," Justin told him reassuringly as he turned his attention back to the teen. "Just be yourself; that's all you need to do. You want Rob to like you for YOU, anyway, not as an impersonation of someone else." He lifted his eyebrows to stare pointedly over at Brian, who held up his hands in surrender.

"There's a person for everyone out there," Brian offered gamefully, although neither of his dining companions seemed to appreciate that statement. "Who am I to stand in the way of true love?" He gave Justin a small nudge in the thigh as he said, "Out, husband. I have he-man work to do; I'll let the good little wifey take care of the young'n for a while."

"Oh, brother," Justin replied as he scooted out of the seat to allow Brian to stand up. He paused just long enough for Brian to grin down at him and place a brief kiss on his lips before his husband departed and he scooted back into his seat.

"Okay," he said. "Now that Neanderthal Man is gone, maybe we can actually _talk_."

Gus grinned. "He was trying to be helpful in his own unique way."

"Just not in _your_ way," Justin pointed out as Gus nodded. He was about to say something else when Kiki came over to take their breakfast orders; he silently gave thanks that it wasn't Debbie who had approached them, because as much as he loved her concern for her 'grandson,' he also knew she would want to become part of their conversation, too. As soon as Kiki had left to place their orders, he asked Gus softly, "What exactly are you so nervous about tonight?" He still hadn't told Gus that Rob had had a crush on _him_ initially; both he and Brian had decided it was best to keep that a secret, as much as he hated withholding information from his stepson. Both of them had ultimately decided, though, that it wasn't worth hurting Gus over it and if things worked out between the two boys, it would be irrelevant anyway. The only thing he regretted was not discussing it with Rob before their date tonight; he could only hope that the other boy would feel the same way and not bring it up. It would not only prove to be quite embarrassing for him if Gus knew, but it would cause unneeded pain as well.

Gus sighed. "I don't know exactly," he admitted. "I mean, it's not like I haven't had sex before, Justin." Somehow his stepfather's name seemed more appropriate in the context of this conversation rather than "Pops." It made it seem less 'fatherly' that way. "I guess it's just the fear of the unknown. I mean, Rob and I have never really spent a lot of time alone together before; not like this. We've sat around shooting the bull when my moms have been around or when we've been jamming together in the living room at home. And we've talked on the way to and from your studio for the rehearsals. But we've never actually sat down and been alone like we'll be tonight. I'm excited about the idea, but also scared as hell. Does that make sense?"

Justin smiled. "Yeah," he said. "It makes a _lot_ of sense. How do you think _I _felt when I first met your father? I felt _exactly_ the same way. I couldn't wait for him to take me home so I could be alone with him. But once we actually got there and I shut that door to the loft, I was scared to death."

"You were?"

Justin nodded. "You bet I was. I didn't really know your father. He could have been a murderer for all Iknew." He chuckled. "I didn't even know his name for a while that night, and he didn't even remember mine at first." Of course, Brian had also been stoned out of his mind, too, but Justin chose not to mention that particular part. No point in bringing up one of Brian's less desirable habits; as far as he knew Gus had never experimented with drugs and he secretly hoped that he stayed that way.

"He didn't?" Gus eyes grew large; his father and Justin had never really gone into much detail as far as how they had met; he knew it had been the same night he had been born and that they had met outside Babylon by chance, but he had never really heard a lot of the details about it.

Justin shook his head with a smile. "No…He had to ask my name again the next morning, you know…after…" He blushed a little, feeling just a little weird discussing his sex life with his stepson.

Gus grinned. "Yeah…I get the picture. So why did you go home with him, then?"

Justin shrugged. "I don't know exactly," he admitted. "There was another guy who hit on me just before Brian showed up. I hadn't been there for long. I can remember all the crazy people walking around and the odd, flashy clothes they were wearing. It was almost surreal." His mind wandered back to that day as he told Gus, "I asked this guy about where the good places were to go." He laughed. "I wasn't very specific about my request, so he tried to be _helpful _by suggesting some. He ALSO tried to pick me up and take me home with him."

Gus listened raptly as Justin continued; a faraway expression appeared on his face as he went back in time. "But I got scared. There was something not quite right about him; something that's hard to explain. He had this look like he was checking me out at the meat counter or something, this kind of righteous sneer on his face." He shivered at the recollection, remembering even to this day how his alarm radar had gone off. He had recoiled at the man's touch, almost like it was slimy and dirty.

Gus watched as Justin's face transformed then into a smile. "But then your father walked over and asked me how things were going. He wasn't afraid to walk right up to me and get in my personal space but somehow I didn't mind. I was flattered, in fact; I thought he was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He put all my wet dreams to shame." He blushed as he realized what he had said, but Gus merely grinned back at him in that way that Brian had of putting him at ease, giving him the strength to continue. "He asked me if had any special plans, and I told him no. He told me he could change that, and that was all it took. Five minutes later I was in his Jeep on the way back to the loft."

Gus's worries about his own adventure later that evening melted away as he asked curiously, "So what made you go with my Dad? What was different about _him_? He's not exactly on the shy side, and everybody knew his reputation."

Justin smiled at him. "Well, your father is a man who knows what he wants and goes after it; but there was at least one person who didn't know his reputation that night: _me_. So I guess you could say I didn't know better."

"You had never been down there before?" Gus asked as he idly played with his juice straw; he was finding the details of his father's and Justin's first night together fascinating; it also made him feel both important as well as mature that Justin would confide in him this way.

Justin shook his head as he laughed. "No. And I guess I'll never know exactly what made me go there that night. But I'm glad I did," he added softly. "Or I would have never met your father. Initially I'm sure he thought I would be a nice, one-time diversion." He grinned wildly as he added, "He turned out to be _wrong_." His face turned more serious as he said, "I'm not sure what it was about Brian that made him different than the other man; I mean, he was definitely more attractive," he said with a smile. "But there was something about your father, Gus. Something beneath the cocky shell that told me there was a lot more to him that met the eye."

Gus nodded. "Kind of like I feel around Rob. I just feel this connection with him."

Justin nodded back at him in understanding. "I know what that's like. I was lucky in a way; Brian turned out to be my first love and my_ only_ love." Yes, there had been Ethan. And Ethan had told him that he loved him; he had said it often to him. But after they had broken up and he and Brian had reunited, he had realized something with startling clarity: He himself had never come out and told Ethan _I love you_. It was always "me, too," or "uh, huh," or "yeah." He had never said those words aloud to him, not like he had with Brian. It was only later that he realized the significance of that.

He smiled at his stepson affectionately. "Well, you'll never know where it leads you unless you try."

Gus bit his lip pensively for a moment before he asked, "Justin?"

"Yeah, Buddy?"

"Can I ask you something? Something pretty personal?"

"Uh…Sure. What?"

"You said Dad was your first love. Was he your first lover, too? I mean, that night…were you…?"

"A virgin?" Gus nodded as Justin confided softly, "Yeah. I had never been with another guy before, not like that anyway."

"Just like Rob."

Justin's eyes widened. "No shit." Gus nodded in confirmation as he whistled in surprise. "I didn't know that." He was quiet for a moment before he told his stepson, "I don't think you're going to be the only one who's nervous tonight, then."

"I hadn't thought about it that way. I guess you're right."

Justin smiled. "Trust me – he'll be nervous. I know _I_ was." He reached over across the table to grasp Gus's wrist. "But if anyone can put someone at ease it would be you. So just be yourself, Gus. Let things take their natural course. Talk about what you have in common; enjoy the pizza, the movie, and the company. If something else comes out of it, that's great. But just because your father had a virtual ownership of all the condom companies when he was younger doesn't mean you have to follow in his footsteps. Be prepared just in case, but remember that you're not the _only_ one whose feelings are involved. Be respectful of his preferences, too. You're a great guy, Gus; even if I _am_ a little prejudiced." Gus smiled gratefully as he added, "You want Rob to like you for who you ARE; not for whom you think he wants you to be. Does that make sense?"

Gus nodded as Kiki returned with their breakfast orders. As she put them down and left, Gus picked up his fork. Just before he took a stab at his pancakes, he said softly, "Thanks, Pops. I'm not surprised that my father fell in love with you…But I think I turned out to be the lucky one."

Justin swallowed the emotional lump in his throat. Not trusting his voice at the moment, he merely nodded as he, too, picked up his fork and dove into his French toast. _That makes two of us, Gus…_

* * *

><p><em>Later that Day – 5:15 p.m. - Loft<em>

"Gus, for God's sake! Just pick out one shirt and be done with it!" Brian huffed in exasperation over all the designer shirts spread out haphazardly over his bed; the very fact that his shirts weren't hanging up neatly in his closet made his skin crawl. Gus must have tried on at least twenty of his shirts by now, none of which seemed to be 'the one.'

"It's not that easy, Dad!" Gus insisted as he threw the latest one down in disgust on the bed; he noticed his father cringe at the sight and sighed. "Don't worry; I'll hang them all up after I decide on one."

Brian rubbed his face with his hand in frustration; he was trying to be understanding about his son's queen out but he was quickly running out of patience. "Gus – every one you tried on looked fine. What is the big deal?"

"The big deal is that he wants to look his best and make a good impression," Justin contributed from his place on the couch.

Brian put his hands on his hips. "You mean like that wonderful plaid shirt and jeans ensemble you wore the first night I met _you_?"

"Well, I had a hot ass and you knew I wouldn't be wearing those clothes for long anyway, didn't you?" was the saucy reply.

Brian harrumphed. "You _were _a cheeky little shit back then, you know that?" he countered. "In more ways than one. You still are."

Justin laughed. "And you loved it; you _still_ love it."

Brian couldn't argue with that statement. "Well, get your _hot little ass_ in here and help your stepson pick out a shirt for tonight before I rack up a fuckingly expensive dry cleaning bill."

Gus huffed. "Dad, I'm not getting them _dirty_," he protested as he reached for yet another shirt hanging up in his father's closet. He turned in relief to see Justin standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face.

Justin walked over to hand Brian a glass of Beam as he grabbed his neck with his free hand to bestow a kiss on his cheek. "Go relax, _Dad_, and I'll help him. You've worked hard enough; it's time to take a break." Brian opened his mouth to speak, but Justin answered his question before he had a chance to say it. "And when he gets done you won't even know he's been in your closet."

Brian snorted in doubt as he took a swig from his scotch. "It's a shame he's tall like I am or he could have borrowed your sparkly little white outfit instead."

"Go," Justin told him in exasperation as Brian grinned; the two of them sighed in relief as Brian turned and exited the bedroom, leaving them alone to complete their task. "Have fun, boys," they heard him say as he walked out into the living room with his drink.

Justin let out a weighted breath before standing back to look at Gus's latest choice: it was a long-sleeved, soft cotton black-colored shirt with matching black buttons. With Gus's coloring it looked very attractive against his darker skin and brown hair, but the collar stuck out at an odd angle for some reason.

"Well?" Gus asked uncertainly as he turned to look at himself in the dresser's mirror. He twisted his head to see how it draped across his back and frowned; the tail of the garment seemed to bunch up over his ass.

Justin shook his head. "I like the color, but not the way it fits you." Gus was a bit shorter than Brian but wore the same size shirt; there was just enough of a height difference, though, to change the way that some of Brian's tailor-made, custom shirts fit on his son, though. He pursed his lips together thoughtfully as he walked over to Brian's closet, glad his husband had his back to them. If he knew he was taking out yet _another _piece of his apparel, he would be sputtering even more in protest.

Sorting through the remainder of Brian's shirts – and marveling at how many of them were still in his closet considering how many others Gus had tried on already – he finally honed in on a dark, blood-red silk shirt near the far left side. It was well-made and expensive but not overly ostentatious. He walked over and held it up against Gus's chest to gauge the color and nodded. "Try this one on; it's one of my favorites on your dad and you have the same skin tone."

Gus nodded as he slid his arms into the soft-feeling shirt, liking the way it lay across his body. It was more of a flowing type fabric than the last shirt and felt wonderful against his skin. The bottom of the shirt was slightly tapered so it hugged his upper body more closely than the last one.

As he finished buttoning up the sleeves, he turned to face his stepfather, who nodded approvingly. "I like the way this one feels," Gus told him hopefully.

Justin nodded in encouragement. "It looks great on you," he told him firmly. "I like that one."

Gus smiled gratefully as he finished buttoning up the front of the shirt, keeping the top two buttons undone for a more casual look. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he smoothed the fabric down as he said, "Well, I guess that's taken care of, then." He glanced over at his father's bedside clock, noticing it was almost 5:45; he was supposed to pick up Rob at 6:00 for pizza at Gino's so they could attend the 7:30 p.m. showing of the movie. "I'd better get going," he told Justin, his palms feeling sweaty all of a sudden now that he knew his date was about to begin. "Shit, I'm so nervous," he confessed, knowing it was a lot easier to admit that to Justin for some reason than to his father. He loved his father dearly, but the man still had a reputation around Liberty Area that was hard for him to live up to, and for some reason he always worried about whether he would let him down.

Justin walked over to give him a brief hug before pulling back to say, "You're going to be just fine. You look great, Gus. Just remember what I said; be yourself and the rest will fall into place, okay?"

Gus nodded with a grateful smile. "Thanks," he said softly. He started to pick up all the clothing and hangers on the bed but Justin stopped him with a grasp on his wrist.

"I'll take care of it, Buddy," he said. "You go ahead; it's tacky to show up late on your first date," he teased him.

Gus nodded again as he turned to step down from the bedroom; his father swilled down the rest of his Beam and placed the empty glass down on the coffee table as he turned to rise from his place on the couch. "You and Justin have good taste, Sonny Boy," he replied with an upward curve of his mouth as he examined the final choice. He nodded. "You look hot."

Gus blushed. "Thanks, Dad," he murmured in embarrassment. "You're a hard act to follow, you know."

Brian nodded as he walked up to his son and pretended to smooth his shirt down over his chest. "Yeah, I know," he agreed tongue-in-cheek as Gus snorted softly. "Got enough condoms?" he asked

"Daaaad," his son protested. "Sheesh! Enough already! Yes, I have plenty! At least for a _normal_ guy my age anyway!" He shook his head as he turned to go. "I've got to get going," he said as Justin walked down from the bedroom. He snatched up his keys from the coffee table and hurried over to the front door.

"Good luck, Gus," Justin called after him.

"Make me proud, Sonny Boy!" Brian offered helpfully. Gus cast one more exasperated look at his father and shook his head again before swinging the door open and disappearing on the other side. As the door swung shut, Justin sighed.

"Brian Kinney, you're incorrigible," he chided him as they turned to face each other. "Do you have to put added pressure on him? You know how nervous he is."

Brian slid his arms around his husband's back as Justin placed his own against his chest and stared up at him with fire in his eyes. "You always _did_ have the most beautiful eyes when you're worked up about something," he whispered in that sexy drawl that went straight to Justin's heart – as well as _another_ part of his anatomy.

"Don't you try to sweet talk ME out of thinking you were acting like an asshole to him," he scolded him, but there was no sting in his words; after all, it was a little hard to concentrate when your sexy, gorgeous husband's hands were sliding up under your shirt and slowly making lazy circles on your skin as you tried to speak coherently.

Brian leaned in until their faces were only inches apart as he shrugged. "I was only trying to give him a pep talk," he stated. "And making sure he's prepared for all possible contingencies – just like the Boy Scouts."

Justin snorted. "Anybody who tries to create artificial cum and glues people to toilet seats could never be mistaken for a Boy Scout." Brian had finally told him what he had done to that asshole judge that had let Hobbs off with a mere slap on the wrist. He stared up into Brian's eyes in concern as his husband raised his eyebrows in silent question; he knew that look by now.

"What?" he prodded softly.

Justin sighed. "I just hope he doesn't get hurt tonight, that's all. He's so excited about his date with Rob. I just don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"Justin…You remember when we first met, right?"

Justin looked at him as if he had grown another head as he answered, "Yeah…I seem to recall that event vaguely. Of _course _I remember the night we met!"

"Well, then you _also_ remember how you felt when you showed up unannounced later and I was with a trick? Remember Mr. Goodfuck?"

"Don't remind me," he retorted sharply; even now that night came quickly to his mind. How could he forget? "Yeah, I remember," he finally added as he noticed Brian still looking at him intently for an answer. "What about it?"

Brian pulled him closer into his arms as he reminded him quietly, "Well, you were really hurt when I told you I didn't believe in love, only fucking. You left there sobbing like a damn baby."

"And your point is?" Justin growled, clearly perturbed as well as embarrassed over being called a baby – even if _had_ been acting like one that night. That night when he had come over to talk to Brian – to be with him in every sense of the word – and he had discovered another man there, his heart had been shattered. It was all he could do to drive home that night with all the unshed tears stinging his eyes.

Brian's expression softened as he explained, "You thought your world was ending; I could see it in your eyes." He paused for a moment before he confessed, "I felt fucking awful doing that to you, by the way; but at the time I felt it was for your own good. But you know what? You not only survived the pain that I caused, you came out stronger – and more determined – as a result of it. The same thing will happen to Gus if things don't work out tonight. Yeah, he'll be crushed temporarily; and he'll wonder what he could have done differently to change it. But he'll pick himself back up and he'll go on, just like you did. And he won't crawl into a fucking hole just because someone rejected him. That's another way that he reminds me of _you_." He was rewarded with a wry smile at that statement as he smirked and looked down into his husband's face.

"You think you're real clever, don't you?" Justin remarked. "Turning that into a backhanded compliment."

"As a matter of fact I do," Brian told him tongue in cheek.

Justin laughed softly. "Okay, I guess you are. I just hope it doesn't come to that, Brian. I really think the two of them would be good together if only Rob gives him a chance."

"Well, Elvis, that will be up to the two of them." He leaned down to briefly kiss Justin's lips before he said, "Now I hope you managed to hang up the rest of my shirts, because I have a _better _use for that bed in there."

* * *

><p><em>Same Time – Rob's House<em>

Rob studied himself in the mirror, noting with surprise how nervous he was feeling. Up until he had spoken to Justin yesterday and found out to his mortification that he had misjudged who his secret admirer was, he had never given a moment's thought to looking at Gus as a potential boyfriend. He had been too wrapped up in thoughts of being with his friend's stepfather (even now, just the thought of that made him cringe in embarrassment) that he had never even considered Gus.

Now that he was straightened out (in a matter of speaking, anyway), he was a little confused as to why he was spending so much time making sure that he looked 'good' for his pizza and movie date with Gus. Maybe that was because this _was_ a date; even though technically it was supposed to be the winning prize for their bet yesterday, from HIS standpoint it was still a date. Was Gus treating it that way, too? Or was he merely looking at it as collecting on a bet? No, somehow he had an idea Gus was thinking about this night in the same way that _he_ was – as a way to find out if they could be something more than friends - because he already knew he had a crush on him.

That was the crucial question, though; _could_ they be than friends? Could he look at Gus as more than just a good friend? Wasn't that the whole point of this night? HE certainly seemed to be treating it that way by the way his palms were sweating and his heart was racing. He let out an anxious breath as he twisted around to take a look at the back of his long-sleeved, charcoal-gray tee-shirt and his dark blue jeans before nodding in satisfaction; it was as good as he was going to get, and as an added plus it didn't appear like he was trying too hard to impress his friend.

Walking over to part his bedroom curtains slightly, he noticed Gus's car pulling up in front of his house, right on time. _Well, he's punctual at least_, he though wryly. Turning to pick up his key ring, he took one more breath to calm himself before he hurried out of the room and down the steps, calling out to his parents to tell them he was leaving.

* * *

><p>Gus drummed his fingers on the steering wheel nervously, wondering how things would go that evening. He wasn't sure if Rob was thinking of their adventure as an actual 'date' or merely honoring their bet. He certainly hoped it was the first reason because <em>he<em> certainly was thinking of it that way. He glanced up as he heard the door open and his heart began to pound in anticipation; it was almost like déjà vu as he watched his friend open and then close the front door before proceeding down the porch steps and along the sidewalk toward his car. In the overhead glow of the porch's light he could tell his friend was dressed a little more casually than he was in a long-sleeved, dark-colored tee shirt and a dark pair of jeans. To Gus, though, the boy could have been wearing anything – or nothing at all, he thought with a blush; he would look hot no matter what.

Silently reminding himself not to come off as some lovesick, overeager puppy, he still couldn't help admiring his friend's every move as he fluidly walked up to the passenger side of Gus's car and opened the door to get in. Rob smiled at him as his heart did a pitter-patter.

"Hey," Rob greeted him as he began to slide inside; before he could, however, he noticed a jumbo-sized box of his favorite candies – sour Gummies – lying on the front seat. He picked them up as he sat down and turned to look at Gus curiously. "What's this?" he asked, noticing Gus appearing to blush a little; in the dimness of the interior, though, it was hard to tell.

"I stopped to get some gas earlier and saw those at the cash register; I remembered you said they were your favorites, so I picked some up for you…Sort of as a consolation prize for losing," he added, thinking that sounded like a good excuse. In reality, he hadn't done it for that reason at all; he had simply done it because he wanted to get something that Rob liked and yes, truth be told, to hopefully make a good impression on him. To his delight, Rob nodded back at him and smiled.

"Thanks," he said sincerely as he placed the candy on top of the center console and buckled his seatbelt. "We can share it later at the movie."

Gus nodded, unable to hide the smile that appeared on his face as he put the car into gear and slowly pulled away. _So far, so good…_

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Later – Gino's Pizzeria <em>

"You should have seen the look on Messerschmitt's face when they told her what they found in the heating ducts! No _wonder_ the room smiled like shit!" Gus laughed.

"Fuck!" Rob asked. "They really put that up there?"

Gus nodded as Rob shook his head in amazement. "Of course it took a while for the room to heat up to get the full effect," he added as Rob laughed. "But we _did_ get out of our chemistry test, at least for the day anyway. They had to get a fumigator to come in and take care of it before we could return the next day."

"Oh, man, I wish I could have been there!" Rob said with a smile as he picked up one of the last pieces of their meat lover's pizza and took a large bite out of it. "That woman is full of shit anyway, so that was extremely appropriate."

Gus laughed with a nod. "That was the idea; it was our birthday present to her!"

Rob's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "It was her _birthday_? Sweet!"

Gus nodded. "It was a birthday I imagine she'll never forget."

Rob grinned. "Why do I have the feeling that you were personally involved somehow?"

Gus smiled as he waggled his eyebrows. "I learned from the best – my dad. You should hear some of what _he _did in high school; he puts what we did to shame. I'll have to tell you about it some time."

Rob nodded, noticing how Gus's eyes lit up as he talked about his father; he may have resented the man yesterday when he found out that he was married to Justin, but there was no doubt how Gus felt about the man. And in the exposed light of the next day, it was obvious to Rob that he never would have stood a chance with Justin anyway; he was too much in love with Brian Kinney to have ever given him a second thought.

As he listened to Gus talk, he couldn't help seeing how animated his face was when he was talking about something he cared about; his entire face almost glowed with enthusiasm and his eyes seemed to change colors, at least under the subdued lighting of the restaurant. It was markedly different from Justin's more Nordic-looking features, but it was still quite attractive nonetheless.

Gus blushed as he realized Rob was staring at him; it wasn't that he didn't particularly dislike it – in fact, it gave him just a glimmer of hope that perhaps his friend was actually enjoying his company – but he wasn't used to such an pointed look from someone so attractive as his friend and it made him a little uncomfortable. He cast his eyes downward and reached for the last piece of pizza, mainly as a diversion to break the intensity of the moment; the two of them were sitting across from each other in the booth, and he couldn't help thinking at that moment how it would feel like to be sitting side by side later at the movie theater. Would their legs brush up against each other? Would Rob reach for hand to hold it? Would HE have the balls to do that himself? What Justin had said to him came unbidden into his mind; he would take his stepfather's advice and take things one step at a time.

"Gus; Earth to Gus."

"Huh?" Gus hadn't even noticed Rob had been calling his name; he smiled sheepishly over at his friend as he said, "Did you say something?"

Rob grinned, wondering what had taken his friend's mind away from the present as he responded, "I said – we'd probably better get going; the movie's supposed to start in about 20 minutes."

"Oh," Gus said, glanced quickly at his watch. "Yeah. We'd better go, then." He reached into his jeans pocket as Rob shook his head.

"I'm paying for this tonight, remember? Fair is fair."

"Well, let me at least put the tip down," Gus pressed as he took out his wallet and placed four one-dollar bills down on the table.

Rob nodded as he followed Gus out of the restaurant, finding himself admiring both the way Gus carried himself with confidence as well as his friend's considerate, thoughtful nature. The more he was spending time with him, the more impressed he was becoming.

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Later – The Loft<em>

"Mmmm," Justin moaned softly as Brian's tongue laved his left nipple, the roughness of the hot, wet surface making him squirm in desire. "Brian," he hissed out as he twisted his hand in the soft auburn hair and his husband used his left hand to slowly travel down his belly toward his erect cock. As his husband curled his hand expertly around the hard thickness, Justin couldn't help voicing the thoughts swirling around in his head despite the enormous pleasure he was receiving at the moment. "I hope Gus and Rob's date is going okay."

Justin bit his lip as he felt Brian's hand grow still on his cock; he lowered his gaze to look down apologetically at Brian's face, realizing he could have probably accomplished the same thing by throwing cold water on him. But he couldn't help it; he was still worried about his tender-hearted stepson.

"Excuse me?" Brian growled as he climbed back up his husband's body until they were face to face. "Did I just hear you ask how my son's date was going right in the middle of my fucking you?"

Justin winced slightly; when he put it that way it did seem rather 'inappropriate.' "Well, technically speaking, you weren't fucking me when I asked the question," he pointed out helpfully. "And if you must know, yeah, I did ask you how you thought his date was going. Aren't you curious about how your son is doing?"

Brian huffed in indignation; only his husband could moan out his name in one breath and ask about Gus's date in the other. "No, that wasn't exactly what I was thinking about as I was getting ready to suck your cock," he drawled out. "I had much more _immediate_ matters in mind." His face softened as he gazed into Justin's eyes; actually his husband's compassion for others was one of the things that he loved about him, even if he _did_ pick strange times to illustrate it. He reached down to caress the pale cheek with the back of his hand as he murmured, "I'm sure he's fine, Justin. After all, he _is_ my son. He can take care of himself." He tenderly brushed some sweaty hair back from Justin's forehead and tried fervently to ignore his aching cock which was begging at the moment for some much-needed attention.

"I know," Justin said softly. "I still can't help worrying about him, though; you think he's having a good time?"

"Justin…let it go," Brian told him as he grabbed a fistful of soft, blond hair and gave it a playful tug for emphasis. "You can't change what's happening anyway; at least with Gus." He arched one eyebrow before he added, "But you _can_ change some OTHER things." He curled his lips under as Justin gazed back at him in understanding, a soft smile ghosting over his face.

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "You want to remind me where we left off?"

Brian leaned in for a probing kiss as his free hand once more strayed to his husband's cock. "Right about here," he drawled as they came up for air and he gave the hot, throbbing flesh a squeeze. He heard Justin groan softly in response as he advised, "Now turn over, Elvis, and I'll show you who's King NOW."

* * *

><p><em>Later That Evening <em>

"I can't believe Tom Cruise used to be married to the actress who played the mother in _Lost in Space," _Rob replied as Gus drove them back toward their houses after the movie. "That seems like such a mismatched pair," he observed as Gus nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, it does." Gus replied. "He was seven years younger than her when they got married. But he's _sixteen_ years older than his current wife Katie Holmes. So you could say the roles are reversed now. Weird, huh?"

Rob grinned in amazement. "What ARE you, a walking trivia dictionary? How the fuck do you know THAT?"

Gus shrugged sheepishly. "I read a lot I guess, so I must have read it somewhere before. My dad's always kidding me about having a photographic memory. I can usually read something once and it soaks right in." He laughed slightly. "Sometimes he calls me _"The Sponge_" because of that."

Rob chuckled. "Well, remind me the next time I play Trivial Pursuit that you're on MY team."

Gus turned the car toward their street, now just minutes away. He had had such a wonderful time tonight with Rob; the more he talked to him, the more he determined that they had a lot in common. He had a quirky sense of humor just like him, liked a lot of the same types of movies, the same music, and the same types of video games. Now he could apparently add one _more_ thing to the list.

"You like to play board games?" he wondered.

Rob nodded in the darkened interior of the car; a classic rock station was playing softly on the radio as they talked. "Sometimes," he said. "My family got me hooked on it when I was a lot younger. My dad would gather all the family together once a night for game night and would forbid us from watching TV, surfing the web, or playing games online. At first my younger sister and I protested violently about it," he told Gus with a laugh. "We thought it was cruel and unusual punishment. But over time we actually started to enjoy it. It was kind of fun doing it the old-fashioned way," he said softly. "And my family became closer as a result." He paused for a moment before confiding, "I think it helped when I came out, too; my parents were surprised but very supportive, just like YOUR family. We were both very lucky."

Gus nodded as he slowed down in front of Rob's house, noticing the porch light on and a solitary, side lamp alit inside the living room; apparently Rob's parents were already in bed. "Yeah," he said as he put the car in park to idle it. "It's a shame everyone else isn't as tolerant."

Rob curved one side of his mouth up in understanding as he unlatched his seatbelt and turned to face his friend. "Yeah," he agreed. "Some of the guys at school can be real pricks at times."

"You had that at your other school, too?" Gus asked curiously.

Rob nodded in the shadows of the car; the porch light nearby slightly illuminated the interior, providing just enough light to make out the features of his friend's face. "Some things are the same no matter _where_ you live," he told his friend sadly. He stared over at Gus for a few seconds before he added, "I'm glad I met YOU, though; it helps a lot to know someone else who is going through the same things that I am." Impulsively he reached over to tentatively clasp Gus's hand, feeling a fluttering in his stomach as they linked their fingers together. He gave it a firm squeeze for a moment as he stared into his friend's eyes, suddenly feeling awkward as everyone did on their first date when it was time to say goodbye. He cleared his throat as he released Gus's hand. "Well, I had a great time tonight, Gus," he softly told his friend. "Maybe we can do it again sometime." He was surprised to realize he wasn't just saying that to make polite conversation, either; he really _did_ want to see Gus again. It seemed that Justin had been right; Gus really _was_ a great guy – maybe THE guy.

"I'd like that," Gus whispered back, still reeling from the electric jolt he had felt a moment ago when Rob had taken his hand and squeezed it; his heart was pounding in excitement over the unexpected gesture, and now Rob was saying he wanted to go out _again_? He took a deep breath and let it out before he found the courage to say, "I'd like that a _lot_," as he leaned toward his friend, making his intention clear. Would Rob push him away, though?

Rob hesitated as Gus leaned toward him. _Should he….did he want to…_.? Deciding there was only one way to find out, he mimicked his friend's actions, inching closer to Gus's face until they were gazing into each other's eyes, shining unblinkingly in the subdued light from the porch lamp. Gus licked his lips nervously as slowly both boys' eyes fluttered shut just before their lips lightly met.

Gus's lips were incredibly soft and warm as Rob's lips touched his; he could smell some insanely expensive cologne on Gus's skin as they continued to kiss, their lips moving slowly over each other's as they tentatively became acquainted with each other's taste as the kiss slightly deepened. He could feel Gus's tongue gliding over his mouth, silently asking for an invitation to enter, and Rob initially resisted, not because he didn't want to but simply because his experience with this was still somewhat limited. He had kissed before but they had been experimental-type, closed-mouth kisses, not the sort of intimate tongue-washing that he suspected Gus was asking of him.

Gus, sensing for some reason that Rob didn't want to take their kiss to the next level, recalled Justin's advice about playing it by ear; reluctantly, then, he pulled back from their kiss as his eyes fluttered back open, trying his best to mask his disappointment. He knew he would be seeing Rob again tomorrow night, and he had already mentioned they he would like to go out again, so he supposed he should take some solace in that. _Slow…Take it slow…Don't scare him off_, he kept saying over and over to himself as he tried his best to smile back at him reassuringly.

Rob licked his lips and exhaled a breath out between his partially-open mouth, grateful that Gus wasn't pushing him to do something he wasn't quite ready to do yet as he said, "Well, I better go in. I'll see you tomorrow for rehearsal. Same time?"

Gus nodded as Rob slid back toward the passenger side door to open it. "Yeah…I'll pick you up at seven."

Rob nodded as he turned the handle of the door and opened it. Just before he exited the car, he said, "I really _did_ have a great time tonight. I meant what I said about doing something again soon."

Not one to miss out on an opportunity, Gus pressed hopefully, "What about after the show Saturday, then? We can celebrate our winning."

Rob grinned in admiration over Gus's confidence. "Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?"

Gus huffed in mock indignation. "With Justin's singing voice, your talent on the guitar, Dave playing keyboard and me as the next best thing to Keith Moon? You bet your ASS we're going to win!" he growled.

Rob laughed. "Oh, well, then we'll definitely have to _celebrate_," he decided as he exited the car. He leaned down as he held onto the top of the car to look over toward his friend. "I'll be looking forward to it. Good night, Gus," he added softly just before he shut the door. Gus watched him walk up to the porch, lost deep in thought before Rob opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good night, Rob," he whispered back. "Sweet dreams." _I know MINE will be, _he couldn't help thinking. He smiled in anticipation as he turned up the volume on the radio, hearing the station unexpectedly playing "_In A Gadda Da Vida" _before he put the car into drive and pulled away.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This "last" chapter as usual wound up being a LOT longer than I had anticipated (no big surprise there, right? LOL!). I DO have it finished, however, but it won't be posted until at least tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this installment. Thanks for reading and for all the wonderful comments!_


	6. Love Me Tender

_Gus and Rob's relationship continues to evolve; will it culminate in Gus's dream coming true? _

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: This chapter contains sexual situations between two consenting 16-year-old males; just mentioning this in case this would be a concern to anyone.:) Thanks, also, to Boriqua522 for checking this over for me.:)<br>_

* * *

><p><p>

_Saturday Evening After the Contest – The Loft _

Brian couldn't help feeling a certain sense of déjà vu as he watched Justin transforming from Elvis back into the man he normally cohabitated with. At least _this_ time he was wearing the "Jailhouse Rock" outfit, which made things much less complicated, and thankfully this would be the LAST time Elvis would be making an encore appearance; at least he hoped so. Although he was a little disappointed to think he wouldn't be the recipient of another Justin spandex strip show in the future, the jubilant, somewhat smashed and almost goofy man currently parading around the loft was a sight to behold nonetheless.

He smiled in amusement from his place on the couch as his husband took his black denim jacket off and began to swing it around like a lasso as he gyrated his hips and opened his mouth to sing loudly:

_Ooh, ooh, ooh  
>I feel my temperature rising<br>Help me, I'm flaming  
>I must be a hundred and nine<em>

Brian guffawed as he watched Justin fling the jacket down and wipe his forehead with his free hand as if he had a fever as he continued to strut around the room, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as he held his other hand up like he was holding a microphone and continued to sing at the top of his lungs, irrespective of anyone who might possibly be trying to actually sleep at the moment:_  
><em>

_Burning, burning, burning  
>And nothing can cool me<br>I just might turn into smoke  
>But I feel fine, yeah<em>

His shirt slowly floated down to the ground as he began to work on unbuttoning his jeans now as he approached the couch, Brian's eyes sweeping over his body appreciatively as more and more creamy-colored, smooth skin was revealed. Justin succeeded in opening up the fly of his jeans as he came closer enough for Brian to reach out and latch onto the waistband of his pants, effectively trapping his little crooner in his clutches, but his husband didn't seem to mind; he merely flashed him a blinding smile as he headed toward his conclusion:

__

_'Cause your kisses lift me higher  
>Like a sweet song of a choir<br>And you light my morning sky  
>With burning love….<em>

In willing captivity now, Justin swayed his body slowly back and forth as Brian began to pull his black jeans and briefs down, licking his lips at the knowledge that a particular tasty part of Justin's anatomy was within swiping distance of his tongue. He managed to hold himself in check, however, so he could pull his wriggly little firebrand's jeans and briefs completely off as Justin deftly toed off his black patent leather shoes without so much as missing a beat. Removal of his socks readily came as he held up each foot accommodatingly so Brian could pull them off and throw them down onto the floor to join the other garments in a neglected heap. He didn't stop continuing with his big number, however, as he held his arms out away from his sides and continued singing with a flourish:_  
><em>

_It's coming closer  
>The flames are now reaching my body<br>Please won't you help me  
>I feel like I'm slipping away<em>

__

_It's hard to breathe  
>And my chest is a-heaving<br>Lord almighty  
>I'm burning a hole where I lay<em>

Brian snorted at the hokey lyrics as he grasped Justin by the side of his waist with his hands and pulled him down to straddle his legs; he heard a soft 'oompf' in response and a hiccup before Justin worked toward finishing his song; apparently someone couldn't take a hint.

__

_'Cause your kisses lift me higher  
>Like the sweet song of a choir<br>And you light my morning sky  
>With burning love<em>

_A hunka, hunka burnin' love…Just a hunka hunka mfrffgng wuv….. _

"Enough, Elvis!" Brian growled as he muffled the caterwauling by clamping his large hand over Justin's lips; he could hear a neighbor downstairs who apparently wasn't a music lover banging on the floor below them in disapproval as he told him huskily, "I'll give you a _hunk of burning love,_" before removing his hand long enough to replace it with his lips, effectively stifling any more inane lyrics that might spout from the full, raspberry-colored lips as he plastered his other hand around Justin's hard-as-steel cock and gave it a firm squeeze to 'grab his attention.'

He heard a moan escape through their kiss as Justin reacted to his hand sliding up and down the slick, hot flesh; Justin began to wantonly piston his body back and forth on Brian's lap as they kissed – a clear sign that he was just as turned on by his performance as Brian was. "Fuck me," he hissed out as they finally broke off their kiss; he was temporarily at a loss for once to issue a snappy comeback with yet another song title from the King's repertoire. "The King commands it," he managed to finally utter with a grin as he pulled back to stare into the darkened eyes of his husband.

Brian harrumphed. "_I'll _give the commands this time," he growled as he pulled Justin further up on his lap until he was perched near his cock. He reached over to grab the tube of lube he had left on top of the bed and hurriedly spread some of the lotion on his own hard dick as he ordered Justin authoritatively, "Ride me, Elvis. Give me the _full_ tour of Graceland." He placed his hands to curve them around Justin's ass, his fingers splayed over the two soft globes that he knew so well as he stared into the dark-blue, lust-filled eyes.

Justin unexpectedly giggled just then – that sort of schoolgirl-type giggle he always emitted when he had imbibed a little too much – as he braced his hands palm down on Brian's thighs and obediently raised himself up to come crashing down onto his cock in one deep, fell swoop. Brian arched his head back and closed his eyes in pleasure as Justin began to lift himself up and then drop down on his cock to pound into him over and over again.

"Fuck, Justin, so good," he groaned as he held on tightly to Justin's ass. Justin leaned in as they kissed deeply, angling his body so Brian's cock hit his sweet spot time and time again. Their mutual moans of pleasure replaced Justin's enthusiastic singing from before as they grunted on each down stroke and continued to kiss passionately. Finally, Brian felt Justin clenching around his dick as the slender body tensed and soon erupted all over his belly and chest. That was all it took for Brian to call out his name loudly and climax soon afterward.

As they lay in bed a few minutes later, Justin's head and hand lying on his husband's chest, Brian turned his head to stare over at the trophy lying on the nightstand table; the first-place award was a crystal rendition of a microphone, signifying his son's band's victory in the talent competition held a few hours before. "I still can't believe my son let you have that trophy," he murmured as he felt Justin snuggle into his side, sleepy and sated after their rigorous round of fucking.

"Oh, don't worry," he heard Justin whisper drowsily. "It's only a loaner; I think he was too excited about celebrating his win with Rob to worry too much right now about the trophy."

Brian snorted softly. "Yeah, he's after a much _bigger _prize."

Justin turned in Brian's arms to stare up into his eyes. "You think…?"

"What do _you_ think? Gus was eye-fucking him all night over dinner; and if you ask me, Rob wasn't close behind. I hope you won't be greatly disappointed, Sunshine, but I think you're been toppled from the idol pedestal. I think that's _exactly_ what's going to happen. Didn't you hear Rob mention that his parents couldn't attend the show tonight because they had to be out of town for some reason? I doubt if he was mentioning that to Sonny Boy just for the sake of polite conversation. He's after some action."

Justin snorted at the cryptic observation, but had to smile at the recollection of how the two boys had acted around each other earlier at dinner and at the pre-show dress rehearsal; the seemingly 'accidental' brushes of their hands against each other, the way they had sat side by side in the restaurant booth, and the stolen glances they had given each other when they thought no one else was looking were very revealing and made him hopeful that they were, indeed, becoming more than just friends. "I'm glad for Gus," he said softly as he idly caressed Brian's chest. "He really cares a lot for Rob, and I think Rob is beginning to understand how special a guy Gus is."

Brian stroked Justin's shoulder with his thumb as he replied, "Well, all I can say is Porter is damn lucky."

Justin turned in Brian's embrace to gaze up at him. "Lucky how?

"Lucky that my son didn't find out about the misunderstanding and lucky that I didn't rip Porter's balls off when he went after_ you_," he growled, his eyes darkening slightly in irritation.

Justin forced back the smile that threatened to appear on his lips as he replied, "Well, that _would_ have been messy." He grinned as the two of them came together for a brief kiss. "I hope everything works out for them."

Brian gazed into the soft blue eyes; he loved Justin for how compassionate and caring he was. "They'll work it out, Sunshine," he reassured him as he reached down to caress Justin's cheek; he watched as Justin's golden eyelashes fluttered closed under his touch as he leaned down to kiss his nose. His breath washed lightly over Justin's skin as he whispered, "Now get some sleep, Elvis; you've had a long day. You can give me an encore later."

Justin smiled with his eyes closed as he burrowed deeper into Brian's embrace; the sound of his soft snoring several seconds later confirmed he had taken his husband's advice as Brian gazed down at his still, sleeping form and thought briefly for probably the thousandth time how lucky he was to have found this special man before he, too, closed his eyes and drifted off into slumber.

* * *

><p><em>Same Time – Rob's House <em>

"Shit! I still can't believe it!" Gus murmured from his place on Rob's bed; for probably the tenth time that night, he held the five, crisp, one-hundred dollar bills in his hand and gazed at them incredulously. Not that he didn't think they hadn't been worthy of the grand prize tonight – he had made that abundantly clear to Rob earlier – but silently he had still had his worries. Up until the show had actually taken place, they had had no way of knowing how good their competition would be. Merely by chance they had wound up being the very last act to perform – at once both a blessing as well as a curse because it had given them the luxury of being the last performance the judges and the audience saw; but it had _also_ served to make all of them a little nervous due to the high quality of the other acts that preceded them.

But ultimately Justin's clear, rich singing voice and commanding presence on stage as he channeled the King had turned the tide for them, and to everyone's delight in the band they had been awarded the grand prize; now they not only had some extra cash in their pockets, but his band had some much-needed publicity. Already someone had approached him after the show with hopes of booking them for a birthday party for a family member who was a big Elvis fan. Gus took the man's business card and promised to call him to set up a time to meet with him to work out the details, his only regret being that he would have to tell him that Justin would no longer be performing as the King. He would have to look hard for a suitable replacement for his stepfather, but he was convinced it wouldn't do any good to ask him to continue. He knew Justin had merely done it as a favor to him and that his real love was his painting.

As he gazed over at Rob, however, who was standing by the side of the dresser, that problem was swept quickly from his mind; he was more excited at the moment about being in Rob's bedroom and what that might signify. It was the first time that the two of them had ever been up here together. He knew the two of them could have remained downstairs in the living room shooting the bull and talking about their victory tonight. The fact that Rob had suggested he follow him up to the bedroom to 'listen to some music' clearly broadcast to him that his friend had some other ideas in mind for them, though; at least he fervently hoped so.

They had been hanging out ever since their first 'official' date occurred a few days ago; the next day they had gone out for some late-night burgers after leaving Justin's studio, and every day since then they had made it a habit to meet before each day's rehearsal to have an early dinner before picking Dave up. In that time they had exchanged a few more experimental kisses when it was time to say goodnight, and Gus had noticed Rob touching him on the arm or squeezing his shoulder briefly to emphasize a point as he spoke to him, providing hope that he was flirting with him and subtly encouraging him. All in all, things had been progressing nicely, but the more he was with Rob the more impatient he was becoming; it was becoming harder and harder to disguise his fervent desire to go all the way with his new friend. Was tonight, then, a not-so-subtle signal that Rob felt the same way, too?

He watched as his friend turned on his CD player, recognizing an old tune playing from the 60's rock group Cream – _Sunshine of Your Love_. He smiled back at his friend in recognition as he commented, "That song has a wicked guitar solo."

Rob nodded with a grin as he walked toward the bed. "Eric Clapton," he verified. "Shit, what an awesome guitar player!" he replied as Gus nodded firmly in agreement. "Why do you think I like this song so MUCH?" He seemed to hesitate for just a moment as if he wasn't sure he felt comfortable sitting next to his friend before he finally sat down next to Gus on the bed.

Gus grinned. "I bet you can play it, too," he commented. He watched with puzzlement as Rob quickly rose from his position on the double-sized bed, wondering if he had said something wrong or if his friend was feeling awkward all of a sudden. Was he going to suggest they go back downstairs? Was this all too much, too soon? He knew if Rob felt that way that he would be disappointed, but he took comfort in what Justin had told him a few days ago. If he had to wait, he would wait; Rob was worth it and he was prepared to have him set the pace. He would do his best not to take it personally, because all the signs were pointing toward his friend enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying his.

To his relief, Rob didn't move toward the door but instead walked over to a black, curved, padded video gaming chair and retrieved his guitar lying propped up against it. Placing the strap over his neck and shoulder, he walked back over and sat down next to Gus with a grin. Realizing what his friend was going to do, and enormously happy that they were going to, indeed, stay in Rob's bedroom, Gus placed his hands palm down and leaned back on the bed to admire his friend's long-fingered hands as he began to deftly strum along with the solo guitar part of the song as it continued to play in the background.

Rob looked over at him as he expertly played along, flushing a little as he noticed how intently Gus was looking at him; even with his relative lack of experience, he couldn't mistake the open look of admiration on his friend's handsome face. Gus had a classic sort of face – strong and angled and highly masculine, but his eyes; when he gazed at him so intently, they captivated him. He had begun to notice that they changed colors depending upon his emotions – when he was excited they were a dark green; when he was angry about something, such as when someone cut him off in traffic, they turned a sort of dark chocolate brown. Now, however, he noticed they were a color he hadn't seen before – sort of a gold color with hints of forest green. He blushed as he realized Gus had caught him staring at him and he quickly averted his eyes.

Tonight he was feeling things he had never felt before, even when he had been so infatuated with Justin. The more he hung around with Gus, the more things he found that he liked about him. He was funny, intelligent, passionate about music and his family, had an incredible, almost encyclopedic knowledge about even the most obscure things, and he was sweet and considerate. Why had he not seen all of this before?

As the song ended and another, slower one began, his hands stilled on the guitar strings as he carefully removed the strap from around his neck and placed his guitar down on the floor. He turned to stare at Gus who was still leaning back on the bed and licked his lips nervously, exciting as well as scary thoughts running through his head. He swallowed hard at the intense look he was receiving as he waited for Gus to say something but he remained silent.

"What are you thinking?" Rob finally asked softly, unable to stand the silence.

Gus stared into his eyes as he slowly rose to sit back up on the bed next to him. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to scare him off as he replied, "I was thinking how much I enjoy being with you and how I want to keep getting to know you better." He smiled a little self-consciously as he added, "And I was thinking just how fucking beautiful you are."

Rob bit his lower lip as he stared into Gus's eyes, his face turning red in response. He could feel his heart pounding as the two of them slowly leaned in together for a kiss. Ever since that first hesitant one a few days ago, he had savored every one of their kisses; Gus was so tender, sweet, and caring, so patient with him, and oddly he found that quite arousing. He wound his hands around Gus's back as their kiss deepened, feeling his friend's tongue swipe once more across his lips. This time, he let out a small sort of sigh of acceptance as his lips parted and Gus's tongue slipped inside. He could feel his friend's arms wind around his own back as they continued to kiss; emboldened, he, too, poked his tongue out tentatively to intertwine with the other one, feeling desire coursing through him as his jeans became unbearably tight.

Finally, they broke off their kiss to pull back a little, far enough to gaze into each other's eyes, both breathless and nervous. Gus could hear his friend's ragged breathing and couldn't help the wish that escaped his lips: _"_I want you," he admitted softly.

Rob stayed silent for a few moments before he nodded slightly. "Me, too," he said shyly.

Gus's eyes widened in both surprise as well as anticipation as he continued to hold Rob loosely in his embrace.. "You…You _do_?" he asked, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

Rob nodded. "Yeah," he answered softly as he looked down at his lap. He raised his eyes slowly to meet Gus's as he confided, "But I'm nervous; you know I've never done this before."

Gus nodded back at him. "Are you sure, Rob?" he pressed quietly, his heart racing at the thought of finally having one of his most fervent dreams come true. "I don't want to do anything you're not ready to do." _Even if it will kill me to wait_, he couldn't help thinking. _I will still do it for you…_

To his relief, though, Rob shook his head. "No," he told him firmly, a hint of a smile on his face in reassurance. "I want to do this; with _you; _I want you to be my first. I trust you. I know you will take care of me."

Gus smiled at him and nodded. "We'll do things just the way you want," he reassured him. Rob nodded as he watched Gus slide his hands back around to his chest to place them at the bottom of his shirt; in silent understanding he raised his hands to help Gus carefully lift the garment up and over his head, exposing the light-colored, smooth skin underneath.

Gus sucked in a small breath of admiration, choosing not to touch the slightly-muscled flesh just yet as he instead began to unbutton his own shirt with shaky hands; now that they were about to finally consummate their budding relationship, he found that he was shaking like HE was the virgin instead of Rob. He felt like he had been waiting for this moment for so long even though he had only known Rob a relatively short time; now that it was finally here, he found his palms were sweating with anticipation and his heart was pounding almost violently. He forced himself to slow the pace of his actions, carefully unbuttoning each button until finally it was undone. He pulled the shirt off to drop it softly down onto the floor, wondering how he should proceed next.

"Why don't you lie down?" he whispered in suggestion. Rob nodded and did as he was asked, scooting up onto the bed until his head was resting on one of the pillows. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat but couldn't take his eyes off Gus as he watched him stand up from the edge of the bed and begin to unbutton the fly of his jeans. He subconsciously licked his lips and felt butterflies take flight in his stomach as he observed Gus unzip the denim and, grasping the waistband, slowly slide both his pants as well as his white briefs down a pair of lean, long legs, exposing a majestic-looking, large-sized cock that jutted out proudly for his inspection.

He could feel his own cock hardening in arousal at the sight of Gus's dick; it filled him with both excitement as well as trepidation over the knowledge that such a large-appearing part of Gus's body would soon be imbedded in his ass. How in the hell was he going to accommodate something like _that_? He had read and heard enough to know that somehow not only would it be possible, but he would undoubtedly be thanking his lucky stars afterward that he had a boyfriend with such an impressive attribute. For now, however, his eyes threatened to bulge out of his head at the sight as Gus dug into his pants pocket to remove a condom and some lube before discarding the garment and walking back over to the bed to stand there looming over him in all his bare glory. Rob's breath caught in his throat as he at last had a chance to see Gus's entire body unclothed; he thought he was simply breathtaking.

He took some comfort in the fact that Gus, too, actually appeared nervous; he watched him bite his lower lip and sigh softly as he knelt down near him on the bed and sat back on his haunches to look down into his face. Gus smiled at him in reassurance as he asked, "Okay if I take your pants and briefs off, too?"

Rob nodded through lidded eyes, grateful that Gus was being understanding with him. He lifted the lower part of his body off the mattress as Gus slowly unzipped his pants; he swallowed hard in embarrassment as his obvious desire for his friend became apparent through the thin cotton fabric of his briefs. He cast his eyes down shyly just then, unable to meet Gus's darkened ones, as he felt trembling hands curling around his waistband before the constricting garments were carefully slid down his body; he felt a cool rush of air hit his cock as it sprang forth from its captivity, hard and aching – a blatant sign of his want for this other boy.

He closed his eyes as a rush of emotions coursed through him, feeling his shoes and socks being pulled off before he opened his eyes back up to see Gus kneeling over him now, gently removing the rest of his clothing and tossing them down onto the floor to join his in a tangled heap. At last the two of them were bare to each other's open inspection as his eyes raked down the lightly muscled, bronze-colored body, unblemished and perfect in every way.

He swallowed again as he whispered, "What do you want me to do?" He felt ridiculous to be a gay male at his age and not really even know the basics, but at that moment he couldn't think of a better person to show him. He trusted Gus and he knew he wouldn't hurt him; at least not any more than he had to. From what he had heard he knew the first time could be a painful one; he only hoped it wouldn't hurt _too_ much.

Gus smiled tenderly down at him in reassurance as he placed his hands on his upper arms; Rob could feel the warmth under his touch which calmed his rapidly-beating heart somewhat as he heard him say soothingly, "Let me do all the work." He nodded as Gus leaned down to kiss him gently on the lips before he pulled back to say almost shyly, "I want to touch you first."

Rob nodded as he watched in rapt attention as Gus took his hand and slowly trailed it down his breastbone before making a light detour over to his left nipple. He arched slightly off the bed as he felt the pad of Gus's thumb swirling around the pebbled nub, gasping at the pleasurable sensation. No one had ever touched him like this before; merely this initial overture was making his entire body tingle with desire. He could only imagine what actually having sex with Gus would feel like as his friend treated his other nipple to the same treatment. He sucked in a breath of shock as Gus leaned down and unexpectedly licked his skin around the same nipple with his tongue before promptly biting at it lightly with his teeth. He gasped in reaction as he felt a reassuring lick of his tongue again, marveling at the incredible pain/pleasure sensation he felt.

His hands came up to latch themselves onto Gus's hair in a mindless clutch as Gus continued to alternatively lip and bite at his nipples for several minutes; he could feel his cock hardening by the second as he roughly pulled Gus's head back up to kiss him deeply, their tongues dueling for control. He had had no idea it could be this way; his entire body felt like it was on fire as Gus murmured his name against his mouth almost reverently.

"Rob, fuck, you're so incredible," he heard Gus whisper as they broke apart. He watched as his lover slowly crawled down his body until he could feel a warm breath ghosting over his throbbing, purplish cock. He held his breath in anticipation, Gus's intention crystal clear as the darkened hazel eyes lifted to stare into his in silent request.

He merely nodded, not trusting himself to speak, as he closed his eyes in anxious anticipation; a few seconds later, he felt a pair of warm, hot lips attach themselves to the tip of his cock and he thought he would die from pleasure. A few seconds later, he felt one of Gus's hands curve around the base of his shaft as another hand cradled his heavy, full balls and give them a light squeeze.

He shot off the bed as his cock slid deeper into Gus's mouth, at least as much as he could muster; Gus managed to place his hands on his thighs just in time to prevent him from bucking off the mattress at the mind-blowing sensations he was providing to him before he began to forcefully suck his cock like a tasty lollipop. "Fuck!" he screamed out as Gus began to slide his cock even deeper into his mouth toward the back of his throat and then back out until again just the tip was submerged, expertly gliding up and down his dick like a well-oiled machine over and over again, the slick wetness of his lips causing his heart to pound and threaten to burst from his chest. He blindly reached out to the mattress to fist a handful of the sheet beside him, twisting it into knots as he felt his entire body clenching in pending climax.

Rob had jacked himself off more times than he could count in the past couple of years, but as he exploded in Gus's mouth he knew it had been nothing like this; his entire body shuddered at once as he spurted out a copious amount of come into the pliant, greedy throat of his lover as he cried out in ecstasy, raising his upper body off the bed before flopping back down in a jelly-like, spineless mess. He panted heavily as he lay there, feeling a distinct amount of loss as he felt Gus's lips detach themselves form his now flaccid cock. He felt Gus slowly creeping back up his body until their faces were within inches of each other as he stared at the beads of sweat on his lover's forehead.

Gus smiled down a little smugly at him as he leaned in and shared a bit of his own taste in a kiss before pulling back a little to look at him and whisper in a ragged breath, "That was…_Incredible._"

Rob let out a raspy breath through slightly parted lips as he nodded. "That doesn't _begin_ to describe it," he decided breathlessly, finding it hard to speak at the moment. He had _never _felt like this before; he felt so wrung out merely from Gus sucking him off; he couldn't _begin_ to imagine how it would feel to actually be fucked by him.

Gus's cock was painfully hard as he gazed into the sated, sweaty face. He swallowed and took a deep breath to slow down his breathing before saying, "We can stop there if you want to."

By the look on his face, though, it was obvious to Rob that if they did he would be vastly disappointed. The fact that Gus was willing to do that – to put his own needs above his own – made him make up his mind quickly. He shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "I trust you; I want you to fuck me. Do it. Show me how."

Gus nodded in relief as well as excitement, his heart beating rapidly in anticipation. "Okay," he whispered as he reached over to retrieve the condom package he had placed down on the mattress nearby. Smiling at Rob reassuringly, he bit the top of the condom package with his teeth and ripped it away, spitting the strip of paper out of his mouth before he opened the foil packet and took the condom out to slide it down over his steel-hard cock.

Grabbing the lube now, he popped the lid of the tube with one thumb and, squeezing it in his hand, he deftly placed a generous daub in his palm before rubbing it between both hands to warm it up. Taking his slickened hands, he coated his sheathed cock before turning to face his anxious-looking friend. "I'm going to put some of this on your hole," he told him softly. "It'll make things easier for you," he told him as Rob nodded silently, his eyes large and expressive with both anticipation as well as anxiety.

He swallowed hard as he felt Gus's finger probing around his puckered entrance; he cried out a little in discomfort as he felt Gus's middle finger poking slightly inside.

Gus immediately stopped at the sound and looked down in concern at his lover. "Rob?" he asked softly.

Rob winced slightly but nodded. "Keep going," he urged him through gritted teeth as Gus nodded back at him.

"Try to relax your muscles there," Gus told him as he nodded again. He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the finger pushing in a little deeper, concentrating on doing as Gus instructed as he willed his sphincter muscle to relax. He exhaled a shaky breath as he managed to succeed in opening up a little more, realizing the finger didn't hurt quite as much as it did before. Just as he was getting used to the tightness and fullness there, though, he felt _another_ finger joining the first one and his eyes flew open in surprise. He noticed a look of regret on his friend's face as Gus told him, "It's going to hurt at first; that's part of it." Once more, Gus stopped his forward motion to allow him to adjust to the added pressure and width, and again Rob willed his muscles to open up and relax as he finally nodded for him to proceed.

"I trust you," he told him again, and he meant it; he just didn't know it would hurt this fucking much. How was he going to be able to handle Gus's oversized cock in there?

"Rob?" he heard his lover say again worriedly as he blinked, not realizing he had caused his mind to drift.

He shook his head in answer to his question. "No, go on. I want to do this; just go slow, okay?" he reminded him.

Gus nodded, his heart racing at the thought of taking the next momentous step. "Put your legs up on my shoulders," he told him softly as he gently removed his fingers. "I'll go as slow as I can," he told him as Rob placed his legs as high up on his shoulders as he could, feeling ridiculous to be in such an odd contortion. He only had a moment to consider how ludicrous it all seemed before he felt the tip of Gus's cock pushing inside him; just that small part felt like a large, hot, steel rod was being thrust inside him and he cried out at the agonizing stab of pain that shot through him.

"Fuck!" he cried out as he held tightly onto Gus's biceps for support. "Shit, that hurts!" he shouted. "Stop," he pleaded as Gus immediately did as he asked, his hands gripping his upper arms firmly as he gazed down regretfully into the pain-filled eyes. He could feel Gus pulling back out as he squeezed his biceps harder and managed to say through clenched teeth, "No…Don't."

"But…"

"I said _no_, Gus," he said with surprising forcefulness, especially in light of the pain that was tearing through him at the initial intrusion. "You said it would hurt the first time. I have to do this," he said. "I…I _want_ to do this. Show me the pleasure behind the pain," he urged him as he swallowed hard.

Gus gazed into his eyes, trying to gauge the sincerity there before he finally nodded. "Okay," he told him as he once more took position at his entrance. "It will hurt," he repeated in warning, but then he smiled slightly. "But once you get past that, the high will be indescribable." Rob nodded as Gus once more lined up his cock and pushed in again, this time a little deeper. Again, he heard a gasp of pain from his lover as he stopped and waited for Rob to try and accommodate him. And once more, Rob nodded after several seconds before Gus repeated the procedure, each time pushing in just a little deeper until finally, a light seemed to go on in Rob's eyes as Gus hit his sweet spot and he sunk in all the way, body against body, skin against skin.

"Aaargggh!" was the unintelligible reply as Rob rose off the bed as Gus skillfully hit his target time and time again; the pain from before was quickly being transformed into the most mind-blowing sensation Rob had ever felt. His body felt electrified as Gus began to slide in and out of him easily now, his down strokes becoming more and more forceful as Rob instinctively raised his body to meet his thrusts. As Gus leaned down to kiss him passionately, their vocal cries of pleasure echoed off the walls of the bedroom as Gus began to pound into him harder and harder until finally his ass clamped down tightly around Gus's cock and he exploded all over his friend's chest and belly, his body jerking spasmodically for several seconds afterward from the aftereffects. He felt Gus continue to thrust in and out of him for several more seconds until he, too, could feel his lover's body tightening with pending release just before he felt the condom filling to near overflowing capacity as Gus climaxed inside him.

Rob collapsed back onto the bed, heaviness permeating every fiber of his body as Gus fell down on top of him, their legs tangled in a sweaty, slick mess. Their chests were heaving violently from their coupling as they lay there for several seconds, neither unable to either move or speak. Finally, Gus reluctantly pulled out, making sure the condom was secure as he tied it off and threw it down rather carelessly beside the bed and flopped down onto his back to let out a weighted breath between his open lips.

At last he turned his head to gaze into the sweat-soaked face of his friend, finding a pair of green eyes staring back at him almost in awe. He reached over silently to push some of the drenched hair back from his lover's forehead as he managed to whisper, "Are you okay?"

Rob blew out a ragged breath of his own before he nodded, his face appearing almost as if it were in a daze as he replied, "Yeah…That…That was _indescribable_. Fuck…I had no _idea_…" He was finding it hard to adequately express what the experience had felt like. "You…You were…" He didn't even have adequate words at that moment to describe _how_ he felt himself: _elated…worn out…loved…a MAN…_

Gus blushed at the comments as he reached out between them on the bed to intertwine his fingers with Rob's. "_You_ were the incredible one," he murmured almost shyly. "I know how much that had to hurt," he told him sympathetically. "I'm glad I was your first," he said almost proudly. In reality, he DID feel proud – proud and grateful that Rob had chosen HIM to be his first lover, and it had been everything he had hoped it would be.

Rob stared into his eyes. "No, I'M the one who's grateful," he replied softly. "You…you were just like I thought you would be; patient and gentle," he said almost in embarrassment. He let out a sigh. "Wow…All this time I had been imagining what it would be like. I mean, I knew that it would hurt – and it _did _hurt like a motherfucker," he admitted ruefully as Gus gazed back at him silently. "But once you break through the pain, once it subsides…Shit, I never would have dreamed…." His thoughts trailed off as Gus nodded knowingly back at him.

"Now you know one of the biggest joys of being a queer," he told him in an imitation of his father's mantra. "My father says there's nothing like the feel of a dick inside someone's ass," he said with a chuckle. "His OWN dick, that is." He gazed into Rob's face as he asked softly, "I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" He had tried hard to make Rob's first time as comfortable as possible, but he also knew that it was impossible not to invoke some pain especially during the first encounter.

To his relief, Rob shook his head and smiled at him before he answered truthfully, "Not too much. You were great." Gus watched his lover's face turn more serious as he asked him softly, "You said before that you had never…you know…"

Gus stared into his face before confirming, "No, I've never bottomed before. I always heard that my father never used to bottom before, either; but I have a good feeling that might have changed since Justin came along." It wasn't as if he and his father had ever openly discussed it; not that he and his father hadn't talked about some deeply personal things over the years – but even that seemed off limits somehow. It didn't take much, though, to look at the love between his father and Justin to surmise that his father at least occasionally provided that privilege to him as well.

Rob nodded and was quiet for a moment, relishing the feel of Gus's fingers twined with his before he ventured to say, "Would you ever consider it? I mean…"

One side of Gus's lips twitched upward as he smiled over at him tenderly. "Yeah," he said softly. "I would…For the right person." The tone of his voice left no doubt just who that person was as Rob blushed at the thought.

"Where are you going?" Rob asked in concern a few seconds later as Gus unexpectedly broke off their clasp and rose from his side of the bed.

"I'll be right back," his friend assured him as he left, only to return a few seconds later with a warm, wet hand towel that he used to gently clean their bodies with. Casting the towel into a nearby wastebasket for later retrieval, Gus scooted over closer to his lover in the bed to pull him into his arms. "Get some rest," he whispered as his hand went around his shoulder. Rob nodded as, exhausted from the day's events, his eyes fluttered closed. He was asleep soon afterward, affording Gus a few minutes to study his beautiful lover before he, too, drifted off to join him.

* * *

><p><em>Late The Next Morning – Justin's Studio <em>

Justin wiped some still-wet paint off his hands and onto his spattered, oversized denim work shirt as he hurried to answer the door at the sound of someone knocking. He smiled as he looked through the frosted glass and recognized his stepson who was apparently alone.

"Gus!" he called out affectionately to him as he let the boy in. "Worried already about me holding your trophy hostage?" he teased as the two walked into the kitchen area. "Coffee? Coke?" he asked as Gus shook his head.

"No, thanks," Gus told him as he sat down on one of the kitchen stools. Justin walked over to grab a nearby, dark-blue mug to pour some coffee into it before joining him at the counter. "Don't worry – your trophy is safe and sound in the living room," he assured him. "Although it _does_ look very attractive sitting on my bookshelf in there."

Gus grinned. "No way," he countered teasingly. "You may be the king, but I'M the leader of this band." Justin grinned back at him as he added, "Besides, with all the art awards YOU'VE accumulated, I'm surprised you even HAVE room for any other award." Over the past few years, Justin had garnered enough attention that the plaques, ribbons, and other accolades he had received had overflowed from his studio over to the loft; his father was constantly kidding him that they would have to build a new addition to the loft simply to accommodate all of them.

"I always have room for one more," Justin maintained with a smile. "But okay – I guess it's only fair that you keep the trophy since I'm retiring from my singing career." He stared quietly at his stepson, knowing instinctively that there was something _else_ on his mind. "So how was your evening last night?" he asked, trying to keep the question casual, even though he knew the plan had been for Gus and Rob to spend their evening alone together.

Gus's face broke out into an unexpectedly wide grin. "It was awesome," he said almost dreamily.

Justin arched his eyebrows at that over-the-top statement. "Which part?" he asked innocently as if he didn't know; the answer, however, was written all over his stepson's face. "Winning the contest or afterward?"

"Both," Gus responded before his smile got wider. "But I'd have to say the best part was definitely saved for last."

"You mean…Rob? And _you_…?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah…we did," he said simply, knowing he didn't need to elaborate any further.

"How did it go?" Justin asked, not sure how much Gus wanted to tell him; after all, though, he had come to him, so he must be wanting to talk about it.

"You were right," he told Justin. "You were right about being patient with him. I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen for a while," he admitted. "But last night – one thing led to another – and before I knew it, he was telling me he wanted to."

Justin nodded, his mind going back in time to _his_ first time. He would never forget it, and he suspected if Gus had been as gentle and caring as Brian had been with HIM, Rob would never forget it, too. "And it was okay?" he asked.

Gus nodded vigorously, his eyes lit up with happiness. "It was _more_ than okay," he told him. "I mean, it hurt like hell for him – and I hated knowing that I was the one doing that to him. I mean, causing him so much physical pain," he clarified as Justin nodded. "But I was also so happy that I was his first; you know what I mean?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah…I know _exactly_ what you mean; your first is always special." In his case, though, Brian had been more than special; he had been his soulmate. Gus was young, but perhaps Rob was his, too; after all, he wasn't much younger than HE had been when he and Brian had made love for the first time. Stranger things had happened before, and he suspected that the Kinney magic had quite possibly been passed on down to the next generation.

"I'm so happy for you, Buddy," he told his stepson sincerely. "Rob is very lucky to have someone like you that cares so much about his feelings."

Gus smiled at him gratefully. "I just wanted to stop by and thank you for the advice," he told Justin. "We're going out to a movie tonight at the Regal," he told him. "And I think we'll be sitting in the top row of the balcony."

Justin grinned. "Just be careful," he told him. "The sound echoes like crazy up there."

Gus laughed. "Now I wonder how you know _that_?" he teased, but he already knew the answer. Of course he did.

Justin returned his laugh. "Trade secret," he said with a wink.

Gus nodded with a knowing smile. "Well, I have to go," he said. "I promised my mom I'd go to the grocery for her, and I want to pick up some of Rob's favorite candy for tonight."

Justin smiled. "Oh, you're good," he said as Gus laughed.

"Damn straight I am; I AM Brian Kinney's son after all."

Justin clapped his hand on Gus's shoulder as they walked back down the short hallway toward the front door. "Well, I hope you guys have a great time. Enjoy the show," he added, as if either boy would be paying attention to what was being shown; something told him they would be putting on a 'show' all their own. Just as he reached to open the door, it was unexpectedly flung open as Brian appeared in the frame of the doorway.

"Shit, Dad! You fucking scared me to _death_!" Gus protested as Brian grinned over at him.

"Hey, Sonny Boy!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as he swept his son up into a brief bear hug before releasing him. "I see you got home in one piece from your victorious performance last night," he observed, noticing there was something 'different' about his son. He stared into his eyes for a moment before he drawled, "So tell me; how big IS his dick?"

"Brian!" Justin scolded him as Gus blushed. "Go on, Gus – I'll take care of this," he told him as Gus nodded gratefully and quickly left. Justin closed the door as he turned to face his incorrigible husband. "Brian, I can't believe you!" he growled as he slid his arms around Brian's back as they turned to face each other.

"What?" he protested. "It's obviously they fucked last night, just like I TOLD you they would. I was just making sure he measured up to my son's standards. It's not like YOU would be able to answer that question – right?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in silent challenge; he already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to rile his firebrand of a husband up anyway.

Justin huffed in irritation as indignant words poured from his mouth. "No, Brian, I'm sorry; I didn't think to install a webcam in Rob's house before they fucked so I could report back to you; you really ARE unbelievable, you know that? Of COURSE I don't know! How in the hell would I _know_? As far as I remember, Elvis wasn't psych…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Brian succeeded in silencing his tirade by pulling him into his arms and clamping his lips onto his own to suck the virtual life out of him with a probing, toe-curling kiss, Justin raising his body up on his tiptoes to wind his arms around Brian's neck. There would be several sighs of pleasure and several seconds pass before he was allowed to come back up for air.

To Brian's surprise, though, Justin managed to finish his thoughts without missing a beat. "And furthermore, why would I care _what_ size dick he has? After all, after you've had the best, there's nowhere to go but down and I have no intention of being deprived."

Brian laughed as he shook his head in amazement at his husband's ability to speak after their kiss. "Now I know why Gus had YOU doing the singing; you've got quite a lung capacity."

Justin grinned up at him. "You bet your ass," he said smugly, his eyes twinkling. "Or should I say _mine; _IT has a large capacity, too," he assured him with a glint in his eye. "How would you like to check it out personally?"

Brian waggled his eyebrows at him. "Lead on, Oh King," he replied as Justin took him by the hand and led him down the hallway toward his small studio bedroom, silently vowing never again to don any more spandex, rhinestoned, bell-bottom outfits or eat any more peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

* * *

><p><em>AN: That's it! Elvis has now officially left fanfiction (well, at least Brian and Justin fanfiction - LOL!). Hope you enjoyed it; would love to hear your parting thoughts. Thanks for reading!:)_


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